Clear Spot
by misslove852
Summary: AU Story of another what could have been if Rory was single when Jess came to town and as someof his past comes along with him. UNFINISHED AND ON COMPLETE HIATUS.
1. Prologue

Disclaimer: I own nothing, it all belongs to A.S.P. and the WB, I'm simply borrowing the characters.

A/N I was thinking about what might have happened if when Jess came to Stars Hollw, Dean and Rory had broken up before and were just friends. What could've happened if Rory had gone with Jess that night. I'm using some of the dialogue from the show but I'm losing some stuff too. The characters are OOC caues it fits the way I write better. Anyway, I love reviews and if I don't see enough interest in this story then I'll focus on my other. So, enjoy!

He walked into the living room and was drawn to the mantle where he saw a picture of a girl with chestnut hair and deep blue eyes. He thought _No way in hell does she live in this place out of a fairytale, lucky..._ his thoughts were interupted when he heard the woman, Lorelai, who his uncle obviously had a thing for, yell "Rory, they're here!"

"Coming!" He followed Lorelai and Luke into the kitchen. He saw an open door, stood in the door way and saw the girl from the picture. She said "Hey."

"Hey."

"I'm Rory."

"Figured. Jess." He walked over to the book shelf. "My, aren't we hooked on phonics."

"Oh, I read alot. Do you like to read?"

"Not much." He picks up the book Howl and looks it over.

"I could loan you that if you want. It's great."

"No thanks." He puts it back on the shelf and walks toward the the windows. He looks at her and asks "Do these open?"

"Oh yeah, you just have to unlatch them and push."

"Great, so shall we?"

"Shall we what?"

"Bail."

"No."

"Why not?"

"Because it's Tuesday night in Stars Hollow. There's nowhere to bail to. The 24-hour mini-mart closed 20 minutes ago."

"So we'll walk around or sit on a bench and stare at our shoes." She looked like she was thinking about it.

"Hold on." She ttok a pad of paper out and wrote:

_Mom-_

_Went walking around with Jess. Be back later. Save me some food._

_Rory-_

"C'mon." She opened the window and climbed out. He followed. They walked around aimlessly in a comfortable silence.

"So, do you have a boyfriend?"

"Nope."

"Have you ever had one?"

"Why would you want to know?"

"'Cause theres nothing else to talk about. So is that a yes or a no?"

"Yes."

"What was he like?"

"I'd rather not tell a complete stranger about my former boyfriend/current friend."

"And why's that?"

"Do you wana tell me why you got sent here?"

"Point taken. So what is there to do around here? Let me guess dance clubs, bars. No... not in this place. Too indecent for this town."

"Exactly. My mom and I have this theory that Taylor is slowly buying up Stars Hollow and when he owns it all he's going to re-name it Taylor's Ville. Now that would be nightmare for Luke."

"So whats goin' on between those two?"

"They're in love. Just too blind to see it."

"So you feel like ice cream? Or are you one of those chicks who starve themselves."

"Ha! Me? Now thats funny. I'm always up for anything that isn't lamb guts."

"Lamb guts?"

"Well, I go to a private school in Hartford and my grandparents pay for it and in return we have dinner with them every Friday at 7 o'clock. My grandmother served lamb guts last week. It was pretty god until we found out what it was."

"Too smart for the kids here?"

"I wasn't challenged enough." Then she said almost inaudibly but Jess still heard. "Just like Dean couldn't challenge me."

"Huh."

"What?"

"What are you doing tomorrow after school?"

"Nothing why?" She asked, the corners of her mouth lifting slightly.

"Interested in hangin' out?"

"Sure." She tried not to sound too happy. She didn't know him all that well but she felt comfortable around him. Like she could talk to him about anything. She also couldn't deny the fact that he's got a nice body and defined facial features.He had dark brown eyes that seemed like pools of chocolate. She also liked how his dark hair was messy, and his five o'clock shadow made him look orlder. He carried himself with an air like he didn't care about what anyone thought about him. She envied him for that. She was constantly trying to please the people she cared about and that sometimes got in the way of what she wanted. She wasn't this perfect princess made of glass that everyone made her out to be. She didn't think that Jess would treat her like she was, but like a normal person. She had a good feeling about this.

A/N This is pretty short but I'll try to make the chapters longer. I have some doubts about how this turned out so please review. Be brutally honest. If I get enough reviews I'll write more. In the next chapter I hope to get: Lorelai and Rory talking when she gets home, the date, some Dean and some other stuff. I don't like to beg but please REVIEW!


	2. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I own nothing blah, blah, blah don't sue!

A/N I'm probably go with the story line for season 2 for the most part. I am pretty much winging it with this story so if there's something you don't like just let me know. As for my other story, I have part of chapter 4 written but I'm not sure it fits or if it's too rushed. I'll probably post it by next Sunday. Thankyou to all the people who took the time to review. I was ecstatic with all the interest. I also changed something in the prologue so you might want to reread it. Anyway, on with the story!

When Rory got home Luke had left and Sookie, Jackson and Lorelai were cleaning the kitchen. "Hey guys! Sorry we missed dinner but Jess wanted to walk around." She had smile on her face, and Sookie and Lorelia had knowing looks.

"Alright spill!"

"Sookie, I'm gonna get going, this is girl talk."

"I should be going too. I'll see you tomorrow Lorelai. Bye sweetie. There's still some food in the fridge."

"Thanks. Bye Sookie, bye Jackson." After they left, Lorelai turned to Rory and repeated "Spill!"

"Well, first he came in my room and took a look at all my books..." She went through describing what happened, being careful not to mention that they talked about Lorelai and Luke. "Then he asked me out for tomorrow and I said yes."

"Interesting."

"What?"

"How far you've come from barely being able to talk around a sweet guy like Dean for the first time, to being Ms. Smooth around a tough guy like Jess. My baby's growing up." She pretended to wiped a tear from her eye, but in truth that's how she really felt. She really didn't want Rory to get hurt but she didn't want to push her away like her mother did.

"So you're not mad?"

"Mad? No, sweets. I just want you to be careful. I mean there's a reason he was sent here. I don't know him so I'm willing to try to get to know him since you seem to like him. Sound fair?"

"Thanks mom. But I'm hungry so I'm gonna heat up my food."

"I'll pick out a movie."

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The next morning Lorelai and Rory are walking into Luke's. Luke tells them to sit anywhere since the diner's full and he has no help. As usual Lorelai takes this opportunity to bug Luke and sits down at Kirk's Table. "I meant anywhere there's no one already sitting."

"Hey, Luke? Shouldn't Jess be down here helping."

"Yeah, but he won't get his punk ass down here to help." As if on cue Jess comes down the stairs. "Jess, take the coffee pot around."

He looks at his uncle and says "That's okay Uncle Luke. I gotta ask Rory somethin'." He walks over to the table where she and Lorelai are sitting. "Hey." He nods at both of them then says to Rory "What time do you get out of school?" Lorelai takes this chance to go get herself a cup of coffee.

"Well I have to interview a teacher for the paper but I'll probably get home about five, five thirty."

"How about we meet here, say 6?"

"Sure."

"Great, see you then."

"Wait before you, go can you get me some coffee?" She gave him puppy dog eyes.

"Whatever." He went behind the counter and got her a cup of coffee and Lorelai went back and sat down with Rory.

"That's my girl. Already training him to give you coffee. And nice use of the puppy dog eyes."

"All part of the Gilmore charm?" Jess asked as he set the mug of coffee in front if Rory.

"You found yourself a smart one. I like him."

"Should I be scared?"

"Very. Now get your ass to school." Luke said coming up behind him. "Here's your danish and a coffee to go."

"Thanks Luke. Mom you can have this coffee." She got up and kissed her on the cheek. "Bye, mom. Bye, Luke."

"Have a good day, sweets." Rory and Jess walked out of the diner and to the bus stop.

"So does Luke really expect me to go to school?"

"Yes and you should."

"Why? What's the point?"

"Too cool for school?"

"Yup, thats me."

"Maybe you'll learn something."

"Didn't you leave 'cause you weren't learning anything?"

"No, I left because the work was too easy for me. If you wanted to I bet you could get strait A's."

"Yeah, but where's the motivation. I don't plan on going to college so why waste time in high school?"

"So when you're looking for a job you'll at least have a high school diploma to help you find a job you actually like."

"Fine, fine I'll go." Rory had a look of victory on her face. "But only so you'll stop nagging me."

"As long as you go."

"Why do you care?" He didn't say it with a harsh tone, but more of a curious tone. Before she could answer her bus pulled up.

"I gotta go, but I'll see you at 6. Go to school." With that she got on the bus and watched him walk in the direction of the school, a smile lit her face.

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Rory wasn't able to pay attetion to her first and second period teachers because her mind kept wandering to a certain dark haried boy. During passing periods she ran onto three people one being Tristan. "Whoa, where's the rush Mary?"

"If you don't move I'm going to be late for English." She pushed past him but he just followed.

"So Mary, what are you doing tonight."

"I have a date."

"Don't tell me you're dating bag boy again."

"It's not Dean."

"Well then who is it?"

"Why do you care?"

"I like to know who my competition is."

"You don't have any competition because we're just friends."

"What ever you say Mary." He smirked then walked away. Rory had finally given up on Tristan calling her by her name and in a way it would feel weird. They had this unspoken agreement that Tristan would keep asking her out and her answer would be the same. Tristan was really into her and her quirkiness, unlike any girl he's met. But she was only interested in being friends with him. When they kissed, she didn't feel anything. It was a nice kiss, but it didn't make her blood rush or make her knees go weak like Dean's kisses used to. 'Used to' being key words. The passion between them went out and the kisses no longer meant anything but became routine. She realized that she couldn't let her mind wander during the rest of her classes and she actually managed to pay attention for the most part.

Her interview with Mr. Medina was a bit akward but also good. She needed to let him know that she wanted him as a step-father and she also got to know him a bit more. One thing she'd probably never admit to her mom unless she and Luke got together, was when she realized Lorelai and Chris probably wouldn't get back together, that Lorelai and Luke would finally admit their feelings and get together.

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Around five thirty Rory was in her room trying to figure out what to wear. She still hadn't got that part down. "MOM! HELP!"

"What is it sweets?"

"I don't know what to wear!"

"Deja vu."

"Huh?"

"Remeber that night I invited Dean over for the first time?"

"Yeah."

"You didn't know what to wear then either."

"Just please help me, I'm meeting him in like 15 minutes."

"How about these black jeans and my porn star shirt?"

"Sounds great minus the shirt."

"Fine. Hmm, ooh! What about the blue shirt with silver flowers on it?"

"Okay, makeup?"'

"You must really like him."

"I don't him all that well, but from what I do know he's a great guy. So, makeup?"

"No blush, I don't think you need it. Some light blue eyeshadow and a little lip gloss for the casual look."

"Thanks mom. Now out so I get can get ready. Oh, and what do I do with my hair?"

"Leave it down." She walked out of the room closing the door behind herself and smiled thinking _Maybe she's not all grown up just yet... _A few minutes later Rory came out of her room dressed and ready. By now it was five fifty. "Ready?"

"Yeah."

"I want coffee!"

"To Luke's!"

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After Lorelai and Rory got their coffee, Rory and Jess left. They just walked around talking much like they had the night before but they were a bit more comfortable and after a while Jess put his arm around Rory's waist. When he touched her they both felt something. Her heart started beating faster and she felt butterflies in her stomach. He had the same reaction. He thought to himself _God, no one's ever made me feel like this..._ As she thought _This feels so right. I haven't felt like this in a long time..._

"I have something for you."

"You didn't have to get me anything."

"Here." He stoped and handed her a copy of Howl.

"You didn't have to buy a new copy. I told you I'd lend you mine."

"It is yours."

"You stole my book." She said with a smile.

"Nope borrowed it."

"That's called a felony."

"I just put some notes in the margins for you." She started flipping through it.

"You've read this before."

"About forty times."

"I thought you said you didn't read much."

"Well, what is much?"

"Thanks Dodger."

"Dodger?"

"Figure it out."

"Oliver Twist." He said putting his arm back around her waist and walking.

"Right. So who's one of your favorite authors?"

"Hemingway."

"Ugh. His books are the equivalent to a sleeping pill. My grandpa's tried to get me to read him before."

"Your grandpa reads?"

"Well I didn't get my love of books from my mom or dad."

"Who's one of your favorite authors?"

"Ayn Rand."

"Politcal nut."

"Yeah but no one can write a forty page monologue like she could. I read The Fountainhead when I was ten, but I didn't understand a word of it so I read it again when I was fifteen."

"I've yet to make it through it. If I reread it then you'll..."

"Give the painful Ernest Hemingway another try."

"You know, Ernest only has lovely things to say about you." She smiled.

"I want candy!"

"What kind?"

"I want a ring pop!"

"A ring pop?"

"Yeah, my mom and my teacher, Mr. Medina, the one I interviewed today, used to date and at the first town meeting he went to he gave us ring pops. And since we talked today outside of class it made me want one."

"Makes sense."

"I did get myself a smart one." She smiled and they walked into Doose's. Just then Dean walked out of the back. He smiled when he saw Rory, but his eyes hardened when he noticed Jess' arm around her. The truth was he was still hung up on Rory. She broke up with him because she felt that they didn't have enough in common and the passion between them was gone. She said it would be best if they were just friends and he agreed, not wanting her out of his life completely with the hope that they would get back together. She hadn't gone out with anyone since Dean, that is until Jess came. To her it was a nice change. Jess was differet from Dean, but in a good way. To Jess it was nice change too. In New York he hadn't dated a lot of girls with substance like Rory. To Dean, Jess was a threat. It meant that Rory was over him and that there was a slim chance of them getting back together. "Hey Dean."

"Hey Rory." Dean stared at Jess with hatred.

"Oh, this is Jess, Luke's nephew. Jess this is my friend Dean. Jess just moved here from New York."

"Hey." Dean said icily. Jess just noded in response, his face emotionless.

"We just came here for some candy." She said attempting to break the akward silence.

"Right. Well I gotta get back to work."

"Right, bye." Dean turned and went into a random isle to calm down a little. He knew that being jealous wasn't going to help. He was always jealous of Tristan and Rory hated it.

"So, this what you're looking for?" He held up a package with a red ring pop.

"Yes, thankyou." She reached for it but he pulled away. She reached for it again but he just pulled it farther away. The next time she reached for it he caught her lips with his. She forgot about the candy and wrapped her arms around his neck and he put his hands on her hips. It was an intense, passionate kiss and they deepened it. When oxygen became necessary they broke apart and rested their foreheads against each other. "Hi." She smiled. She learned her lesson about runnning away after a kiss from Dean and Tristan.

"Hi. So are we going to pay for this or what?"

"You don't want one?"

"I'll get another one just incase you want another."

"Or you want one."

"Come on, let's pay for these and go."

"You want one."

"Believe what you want."

"You want one." He smirked.

"You're annoying, you know that?"

"I get it from my mom." She said with a shrug. They walked to the cash register and payed for the ring pops. Rory immediately ripped the wrapper off and put in on her right pinky and started eating it as they walked. Jess stared at her with a smirk on his face. "What?"

"Nothing."

"So, you're probably wondering about Dean, right?"

"A little, but you don't have to tell me."

"No, it's fine. Well he was the first guy I really liked, my first kiss, and my first love. On our three month aniversary he told me he loved me. I couldn't say it back and he got really mad and we broke up. About two months later he came to school and I said it back. He said love is something you don't have to think about. I had to think about it alot. I really cared for him. Maybe I did love him, but I'm positive it wasn't true love. When I realized that our relationship had changed to one of friends, I broke up with him because it wasn't fair to either of us to stay in a relationship that was going no where. And now I'm here with a guy I really like who happens to share my interests."

"Huh."

"What?"

"I really like you too."

"Good, because if you didn't I'd sound like a complete idiot and I don't think I could handle that."

"So, that ring pop any good?"

"You want one!"

A/N So what do you think? Be honest. I had a little bit of trouble with this and I'm not sure how well I did the Dean scene. Hey, I rhymed! Anyway, please REVIEW! I might have been OOC a little but I warned you! I put the ring pop thing in because I really want one right now...


	3. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: Not mine, don't sue!

A/N Thankyou to Lillie M. Cheagana for the title suggestion! So this chapter might come out weird because I have no concept of what I really want to happen. I'm just sitting here at my computer trying to get something written so excuse me if this chapter is crap. Thanks to thoses of you who reviewed and for thoses of you who don't know OOC stands for out of character. Flame me if you want, I don't care. Send me reviews of praise and I will keep writing. Just review and I'll be happy. That way I know someone's reading.

The rest of the night was spent with talk of books, music, anything. At times there was a comfortable silence where words weren't needed. The night ended with a sweet, lingering kiss. The minute Rory steped into the house Lorelai said "Tell me everything and if you leave anything out you die!"

"Can I sit down first?"

"Sure sweets. I'll get the coffee." Lorelai went into the kitchen and came out with two cups of steaming coffee. "Now spill!"

"First promise you will be in friend mode."

"I promise. Now tell me already! The suspense is killing me!"

"So we walked around for a while just talking. It was nice, I feel so comfortable around him. Then he put his arm around my waste, and I don't know. I just felt... safe. Like nothing could physically hurt me with him there. Then he gave me my book with notes in the margins."

"He defiled your book?"

"No, he just put his thoughts and feelings about what was happening."

"O...k...?"

"Anyway, then I had this strange craving for a ring pop so we went to Doose's where we ran into Dean."

"How did that go?"

"Let's just say I don't think they're going to be going to the movies together anytime soon. I mean, I knew it would be akward for Jess to met my ex, but Dean was just acting so weird. Jealous and posessive, the way he would whenever he ever saw Tristan. I don't know why."

"Honey, you broke that kid's heart. He's probably still trying to get over you. And let me tell you, it's hard to get over a Gilmore girl. It was probably a reality check for him, he knows that you're over him and that probably hurts him."

"I can't stand to hurt people!"

"I know babe but you can't live your life for other people or to avoid hurting people."

"I know."

"But that's not where the date ended so go on."

"Right, so after bumping into Dean we went to get the ring pops. He found them first but when I reached for it he pulled it away. He did that like three more times and then, he kissed me." She said dreamily and with a smile on her face.

"Boy, does he move fast."

"Maybe, but, I don't know, it just felt... right."

"So I guess you really are Supermarket Slut." She grinned thinking about when Rory needed her to be in the room because "_he smells really good and he looks amazing and I am stupid. I said 'thankyou'."_

"Huh?"

"Dean kissed you on isle 3, Jess kissed you on our dearly, beloved candy isle 7."

"Those are my favorite isles."

"So... is he a good kisser?"

"Mom!"

"What? I'm the friend remeber?" Rory just rolled her eyes.

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The next day after school, Rory and Lane are sitting in Lane's closet with music on.(A/N I don't know what song threy'd have playing so use your imagination) "Ok, why do you get all the new guys!"

"Because none of the new guys are Korean or Mrs. Kim approved. Besides, you have Henry. When are you gonna tell your parents?"

"Do you really think I should?"

"Well it would be nice if you could go on an actual date with him. I mean what's the worst that could happen?"

"My parents could hate him and forbid me to see him and cut off all contact to the outside world."

"Three good reasons that won't happen: one, he's Korean, two he's going to be a doctor, and three, he's active in his church as are his parents. I think he'll be happy he won't have to sneak around anymore."

"Maybe I will tell them. Maybe then mama will stop forcing dates on me! I love henry! He's my savior to sanity!"

"Hey!" Rory said feigning hurt.

"What? You'll be too busy shoving your tounge down Jess' throat."

"You make it seem so dirty. I mean it's just me kissing my boy-" She stopped because she wasn't sure whether or not what she was going to say would be right. She was in the same position as before with Dean. She didn't know whether or not Jess was her boyfriend. That would make for a very akward conversation.

"Not again!"

"What 'not again'?"

"You don't know if you can call Jess your boyfriend or not."

"Am I that transparent?"

"No, I just know you well enough to know what you're thinking."

"So, just wondering, have you by any chance seen him at school?"

"He's in my history class. He was reading some book. Didn't see the title. And writing in it." Rory smiled.

"He was reading Howl.

"How did you know that?" Her smile widened.

"That's the book he gave me. Or returned to me."

"I seriously need some dumb, ugly friends that don't get all the hott new guys."

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Later that day Rory was walking towards Doose's to get the required amount of junkfood needed for a Gilmore movie night, Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory was the feature presentation. She went in and headed straight for her favorite isle, candy isle # 7. She was looking for the red vines, but only found an empty box. She was about to reach for the M'n'Ms when someone stuck a box of red vines in her hand and said "Can't have a movie night without red vines." She turned to see Dean smiling at her. "Hey."

"Oh, hey Dean. Didn't see you."

"It's okay, so what movie are you guys watching tonight?"

"Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory."

"Of course. So Jess is..." He wasn't sure how to describe the guy that took Rory away. What they didn't know was that he saw them kissing. In that isle. Rory. Kissing. Jess. The guy he now hates. He felt like she was cheating on him or she ripped out his heart and ran it over with a steam roller. Either way, he didn't like it. He thought that he and Rory belonged together and she would figure it out soon since she hadn't gone out with anyone to his knowledge. Until now. Now, he felt all he had to do was declare his undying love, kiss her and she would be his. But he would wait until the perfect moment. If that meant waiting, he'd wait.

"Jess is great." She said with a smile. He loved this girl to pieces, he wanted to see her happy, and he knew Jess would never make her truely happy.

"So what did you guys do besides shove each other's tounges down your throats."

"Dean, what- oh, you saw us?"

"Well, kinda hard not to see the two of you standing in the middle of the isle trying to dee how far he can get his tounge down your throat." Or he would make a total ass of himself because he's too impatient and too much of a jerk.

"Dean, where is this coming from? We're broken up, I've moved on and now you need to." She backed away from him slightly.

"Rory, I love you, I've always loved you and always will love you. We belong togrether don't you see."

"No we don't Dean, get some help and leave me alone." She put her basket down and walked out of the store and Dean just stood there. She walked to the diner looked around, didn't see Jess and asked Luke "Is Jess upstairs?"

"Yeah, go on up." He knew something was off but didn't say anything. She went upstairs and just walked through the door. Jess was reading on the sorry excuse for a bed, he looked up and saw her. She looked to be on the brink of tears. But who wouldn't be when their ex who they thought to be their friend called them a slut for kissing someone else. She cared for Dean, and what he thought of her meant something.

Jess put his book down and she sat down next to him. He wrapped his arms around her as she burried her face in his chest and cried silently. "Shh, shh. It's going to be okay. Shh. Please stop crying." Jess was never good at comforting people so he was surprised he was able to now. Rory felt safe in his arms. To her that was important to feel, because that meant that you could trust the person. Once she stopped crying she pulled away from him and wiped the tears off her face. He extended his arms offering a hug because he felt empty without her in his arms. "What happened? Why were you crying?"

"I ran into Dean at the market and in so many words he called me a slut and a cheater because I kissed you and it just hurt. This coming from the guy who claims to love me and the guy I used to care deeply about. I'm sorry I came but you were the first person I thought of that was home."

"It's okay, I don't mind." He kissed the top of her head. He wanted to kill Dean for making her cry. She didn't deserve it. He didn't know Dean well but he knew that he's just some posessive, overbearing, jackass and he didn't like him at all. "Are you going to be okay?"

"I'll be fine, now that I'm here with you." They both smiled, something that rarely occured with Jess, and tightened their hold on each other. Rory felt happy, happier than she's ever been, and that's when she knew she was in love. Not the kind of naive love she shared with Dean, something totally different.

A/N I don't know whether this chapter sucked, was good, or if I should re-write it. It's all up to you people to tell me so review!


	4. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: I own nothing, but I wish I owned Milo... sigh

A/N Thankyou to those of you who reviewed. I hoped for more of a response from the last chapter but I got a response so I'm good. I'm not sure where this story is going, so if you want something to happen, leave a review for me telling me what you want. I will take requests under consideration. Sorry if this chapter is crap, I've been in a rut with my writing so forgive me. I also will only use some parts of season two, because most of it doesn't fit. Jess and Lorelai will most likely be friend-ish because I like it better that way. Anyway, on with the story!

After awhile Rory realized that she still needed to get the food for the movie but didn't want to go back to Doose's unless she was sure Dean wasn't there. She didn't want to have another confrontation with him. She hated that Dean was trying to guilt her into his arms and that he was being such an... ass. Rory Gilmore thought there was good in everyone, and she had found it easily in Dean. But now, it was like he was a different person. More like he just didn't want Jess to have Rory than because he loved her.

Rory and Jess were still sitting in the apartment above the diner just holding each other. This feeling Jess had, he never experienced it. It was new to him and it is scared him shitless. No girl has ever made him feel like this. Sure, he's gotten some before, but the girls meant nothing to him. He'd known Rory less than a week, but he felt something when he touched her, kissed her, held her. That was all he wanted to do. He knew that he was falling, and falling hard. No way to avoid it, not that he wanted to anyway.

Rory, reluctantly, let go of Jess. She turned to him and kissed him softly before getting up. "Thanks, but I gotta go. Mom and I are having a movie night."

"I walk you." He got up and walked to door and opened it waiting for her to exit.

"Thanks. Ooh! Can I get some coffee first?" She gave him a pout and the puppy dog eyes. As strong as his will was, he couldn't say no to this girl.

He shook his head and said, "Sure."

"Yay!" She kissed him on the cheek.

"What do I get if I give you two cups?" He asked with a smirk.

"This." She leaned up and kissed him full on the lips. The kiss deepened and lasted until Rory felt like her lungs were going to burst. They pulled apart and smiled at each other.

"What if I-" She cut him off with a short kiss.

"Enough of the 'what if's'. I want coffee!" He smirked.

"Lead the way." They walked dowstairs and Jess got her two to-go cups of coffee. He could tell she needed it. He wanted to beat Dean up really bad. But he knew it was Rory's battle until he got involved. It was all her choice whether or not she would forgive him or ignore him all together.

They walked to her house, his arm around her waist protectively, talking about books when someone walked into Jess. Who else could it be but Dean? "Watch it bagboy." Jess said tightening his grip on Rory slightly.

"Make me." Dean said while moving closer to Jess so he was in reach. Oh, how much Jess wanted to beat the crap out of him. But not in front of Rory.

"Yeah the whole Frankenstein towering over me just really makes me shake. I'm not gonna fight you."

"Why not? I wanna know if I could beat you. Being from New York and all I figure'd you'd have no problem with this." Dean provoked. Jess glared and ground his teeth.

"Dean just go." Rory pleaded. She'd seen him angry but this was different.

"Why? So your boyfriend can screw you?" He immediately regretted what he said. He loved her. How could he think that let alone say that. Jess. It's as simple as that. He hated Jess for taking Rory away. He wanted Rory to be happy and safe. He didn't think Jess could give her that.

Rory had a look of shock on his face. How could he say that! He supposedly loved her. She could understand that he wouldn't like Jess. But to think she would be like that with Jess? "How dare you!" She slapped him across the face. "You've known me for almost two years! Dean, I don't love you anymore! There will never be an 'us' again. You need to get over it and stop trying to screw up my relationship of Jess. Dean, just leave me alone!"

Dean glared at Jess. He looked at Rory and could tell that she meant every word she said. "Fine, but when he hurts you, don't come crawling to me." With that he walked away and for the second time that day Rory broke down into tears because of Dean.

Why was this so hard? What did she do other than move on from a relationship that no longer existed? She asked herself these questions as she allowed Jess to envelope her into his arms.

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Lorelai was sitting on the couch listening to Rory tell her about the evnts of her day with a tear stained face. After she stopped crying Jess walked her home and told her to call him when she felt better.

"And to think I used to like this guy! I swear, when I see him I'm going to-"

"Do nothing. Mom, I know you wants best for me, but I need to handle this on my own. If Dean wants to mess with me, I will get rid of him best I can. If I feel like I won't be able to handle him, you'll be the first to know. But I'm not so sure he'll be able to reproduce when you, Jess, Luke, all of SH and dad finish with him."

"He loves you." Lorelai mused. She saw Jess and Rory walking up the drive holding onto each other like their life depended on it. She knew he cared. She could see it in his eyes that were usually guarded.

"If Dean loves me, then why is he doing this to me?"

"Not Dean, Jess."

"That's obserd. We've known each other less than a week!"

"He loves you, and you love him."

Rory gave up. There was no denying that she indeed was in love. "Am I so transparent you can see right through me?"

"Very few people can read you sweets, so don't worry... So, you didn't get the food." Rory threw a pillow at her.

"I can't go back there. I just... can't. Not yet."

"It's okay sweets. Why don't you call Jess and invite him over and I'll get the junkfood?"

"O...k...?"

"Great. I'll be back in a bit." She grabbed her purse and left. Rory herd the door closed and smiled. She was in love. Rory Gilmore, town princess can do no wrong, was in love with Jess Mariano, town bad boy from New York. In the words of Jess, "huh." She grabbed the phone from the coffee tabl and dialed Luke's apartment number. After the third ring she herd the voice of the man she loved.

"Hello?" Came the obviously annoyed voice of Jess.

"Hey!"

"Hey! So what are you wearing right now?" His voice no longer annoyed but seductive.

"Oh you know, just a towel." She could tell he was smirking. He thought 'Evil, evil woman' while shaking his head.

"So, what are you doing?"

"Inviting my boyfriend over for movie night."

"Huh."

"So what do you say?" He thought it over. After a few moments he decided he wwanted to see her and was going to drop by later.

"What time?"

She looked at the clock. It was ten past six. "Seven good?"

"Just out of curiosity, what movie?"

"Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory."

"Because who can resist those oompa loompas?" He asked sarcasticaly.

"Exactly. So what are you wearing?" She said as close to seductive as Rory Gilmore could get.

"Absoloutly nothing." She knew he was kidding but still blushed.

"So, see you at seven. I'll wait outside for you so that Babette doesn't attack you. Oh! That reminds me, have I warned you about Ms. Patty yet?"

"I don't believe you have."

"Keep your distance, she'll pinch you and ogle you. Trust me."

"Whatever you say."

"Suit yourself."

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Jess was getting ready upstairs when Luke came in and put something in the safe. He turned to Jess. "I'm not good with this whole deal, so just listen. You're dating Rory. When you two are up here, you will not be on the same piece of furniture. Just a warning, you hurt her and me, Lorelai and this whole town will be on your ass." With that he went back downstairs. Jess just shook his head. He felt kinda bad for Luke. He had to watch Lorelai date lots of men and say nothing. He was suffering because he was too scared to be rejected. Jess was glad he didn't have to go through that with Rory. He finished up and went downstairs getting two cups of coffee to go knowing Rory'd want some and so would Lorelai. He walked out and strait to the Gilmore residence to get away from his version of hell and to the only person that would keep him sane.

She was waiting on the pourch swing, as promised, and reading. He walked up the steps but she didn't notice jhim she was so wrapped up in her book, Franny and Zooey by J.D. Salinger. He walked towards and as soon as she smelled the coffee she looked up. "I come bearing coffee."

"Smart man." She put her book down after marking her page and kissed him. "Come on." They walked in side and were greeted by Lorelai who was in th living room watching the commercials. "For some weird reason she likes to watch the commercials and I usualy read until the movie starts."

"I see. Hi Lorlelai."

"You brought coffee! I really like him, he's a keeper. I guess it's time to get rid of Chester so there's room for Jess."

"Don't I feel special. Here." He handed the coffee to her and she smiled taking it. "Just don't tell Luke 'cause then he'll start lecturing me on how to lecture you on how bad coffee is for you and it's really hard to ignore him when he turns off my music and takes my book away."

"Supply me with coffee and I won't tell Luke. But if he finds out he's going to blame you."

"Why? I'm just an innocent by stander listening to what my girlfriend's mother tells me to."

"Okay, I'm officially hungry. When's the pizza getting here?"

"About 20 minutes. So do you want anything to drink Jess?"

"Soda's fine."

"Be right back. And no kissing! Just kidding! Just be done before I get blinded." She smiled and went into the kitchen while Rory and Jess sat on the couch.

"So I guess that means no kissing during the movie, huh?"

"Nope, better get it out of our systems now." He smirked, she smiled and they both leaned and just when their lips meant Lorelai said

"I'm blind!" They pulled apart reluctantly.

"Mom, you're not blind. I know you spy on us when we're outside so you've seen us kiss."

"Me? Spy? Never!"

"Uh huh, sure."

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After the movie Lorelai, Rory and Jess were talking about music. "Okay, Metallica or Offspring?"

"No contest, Metallica. What do you think?"

"I'm a Metallica fan, but Rory's dad is all baout Offspring. He has the strange idea that they're better."

"Crazy man." Jess said shaking his his head in fake disgust. Lorelai yawned and decided it was time to let the lovebirds have some time together so she said goodnight to Jess and went upstairs. She was skeptical of Jess in the begining because he reminds her so much of Chris at that age. But he is different than him at the same time, he's more mature than Chris was and she could tell. That and he had better taste in music than Chris. She still had some doubts because she nor Rory know about Jess' life before. She just hoped for the best because Rory was in love with him. True love. She could see it in their eyes. She once was like that with Chris.

Rory walked Jess to the door and they went outside in case Lorelai came down. They had their arms wrappred around each other. "So I had fun."

"Me too. Do you really think of me like Uncle Jessie from 'Full House'?"

"Yes. The hair, leather jacket, music loving. There are similarities." She smiled and kissed him. It was a passionate kiss yet soft and loving. When they pulled apart they were both smiling.

"Have mercy."

"Very funny."

"I thought so."

"You'd better go."

"I don't wanna go."

"I don't want you to go. But I'd prefer it if you were still in one piece tomorrow because Luke wouldn't let you explain why you were here so late and jumping to conclusions."

"What conclusions would he jump to?" She blushed. He loved making her blush. He love her laugh. Her eyes. Hell, he loved her. "I'll see you tomorrow then."

"Tomorrow." She kissed him again. After about 15 goodbye kisses he left, both smiling. Rory smiling openly and Jess smiling on the inside trying to keep the corners of his mouth from lifting up and keep an unemotional face. Yup, they were in love. They both knew it, but didn't know whether or not they should tell the other.

A/N This chapter seems weird to me. I'm not sure if alll of it made sense. Chester was the first name that popped in my head, I don't kno why... It's also OOC. I always thought that Rory was too weak. She let other people fight her battles and I don't like that so I'm changing it. Dean is out of the picture! Yay! At least for now... duhn duhn duhn! Anyway, review and tell me whether this was crap or a masterpiece.


	5. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: I own nothing, just borrowing.

A/N I finally finshed this chapter! I don't kow how it will turn out because I'm just writing whatever comes to mind. Excuse me if it's crap because it might not stay. I realize that this story is moving a bit fast, but it's just how I write. I don't like to linger on everything. The movie night happened because I didn't know what else to put. The kiss just fit, it being Jess and all. Yes they are in love and both know it, but it doesn't mean they plan on informing the other anytime soon. Moving fast is the way I write best. Thankyou to all reviewers. I got a good response and that makes me happy! Sorry again for it being OOC. On with the story!

Rory and Lorelai are on their way to the elder Gilmore's for their weekly Friday night dinner. In the last couple days Rory had managed to avoid Dean for the most part. She was still angry at him. He huet her, he didn't know Jess at all and knowing Rory thinking that she would go all the way with Jess when they just started going out. She used to deal with his jealousy, sure they'd fight, but they always made up. But now, he crossed a line. She still cared for him, evenif just as a friend, and it hurt. It felt like he stabbed her in her heart. Her first love thought that she was easy. She knew that she could never forgive him for that even if she wanted to.

Rory had spent some time with Jess and Lane. She did alot of studying too. Just trying to keep busy so the hurt wouldn't show. But she couldn't hide it from Lane or Lorelai. Not even Jess. Lorelai and Lane knew her so well. They said over and over again, if she needed to talk they would be there. But they didn't know what it felt like to have someone they were close to say something so hurtful and off base to them. Jess knew that she was upset even though she tried to hide it because he was the master of hiding his feelings. You learn to do that with a dad who runs off the day you're born and a flake mother who doesn't seem to give a damn about what you're doing as long as you're not in her way. He didn't know much about Dean's relationship with Rory other than they were "first loves" and were together for about a year and half. He didn't want to know much more than that. But he did know that what Dean thought of her was important. He wasn't into the whole talking thing so he just allowed her to pretend nothing was wrong and tried to get her to have fun and not let her mind wander to the pain. She was grateful that she wasn't getting sympathy just because 'she's the town princess' from him. The town knew about what Dean said to her and all she got was sympathy and she was sick of it. It's not like she's the only one who it's ever happened to, in alot of cases much worse. He treated her not like anything was wrong but like she didn't have to remind herself of it everyday just because it happened. It helped that she talked about it but she didn't want to dwell on it. Things happen, but that doesn't mean you stop living your life.

Lorelai parked in the drive way but didn't move to get out of the car. Rory didn't either. They both were wrapped up in their thoughts. Rory's about Jess and h ow he was either reading or working in the diner. Lorelai's about Rory. She knew Dean hurt her baby and she didn't like it. SHe wanted to beat the crap out of him. But Rory was doing pretty well. She talked a little but not much. Lorelai wished she would. She thought she should get it all out but she also knew that she didn't want to dwell and just wanted to move on. Lorelai decided if Rory wanted to talk she'd come to her, and until then she'd do what Rory was doing, try to move on from the pain, or in Lorelai's case anger and hatred. She finally got and Rory followed suit. They prepared themselves for 'gun' night in the Gilmore house of hell. "Ready mom?"

"Oh yeah, I just can't wait for the fun to begin!" Lorelai answered sarcastically. Rory smiled.

"Be nice!"

"But sweet daughter, I'm always nice."

"Always huh?"

"Of course."

"What about the time Gran came and you brought a camera to dinner."

"Most of the time."

"What about-"

"I get it. Now ring the bell."

"I did it last time."

"Nu-uh."

"Yu-huh."

"Nu-uh."

"Yu-huh."

"Nu-uh."

"Nu-uh"

"Yu-huh."

"Got you!"

"Evil evil girl. I knew you were mine. Who else would you have gotten your smarts from?"

"I always thought I got them from dad."

"Mean!"

"I got that from you. Now ring the door bell."

"Fine." She reached out and rang the bell and almost immediately a new maid answered the door. "Hi I'm Lorelai and this is Rory. We're here to-" She was cut off by Rory.

"Richard and Emily are expecting us for dinner." Lorelai gave her a dirty look. "You would have confused her just like you did to Gretta, Freda, and Henrietta."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah."

"I'm Shoshana." The new maid said as she took their coats.

"That sounds Jewish."

"It is. Mr. and Mrs. Gilmore are waiting in the living room.

"Thankyou Shoshana." They walked into the living room where Richard was fixing a drink and Emily was fixing some flowers muddering under her breath about how nothing was done the way it's supposed to be done. "Hi mom, dad."

"Lorelai, Rory! Would you like annything to drink?"

"Gin martini with an olive please."

"Rory?"

"Coke please."

Shoshana walked into the room and announced dinner. "Thankyou Sharin."

"Mom, it's Shoshana."

"I could have sworn it was Sharin."

"I thought it was Samantha." Richard said handing Lorelai and Rory their drinks.

"Nope. It's Shoshana." Lorelai corrected as they sat down at the table and began dinner.

"Huh."

"Wow, de ja vu huh, Rory?" She just got a smile in response.

"Excuse me?"

"Nothing, Grandpa. I just have a friend who likes to use the word 'huh' alot. It's pretty funny."

"And damn right annoying."

"Not to me."

"That's because he does'nt say it as much with you. It's like the only response I get." When Richard heard 'he' they had his attention. He didn't like Dean at all and was relieved when Rory said she'd broken up with him. He just hoped that they were seeing each other again.

"Not Dean right?" He asked. Rory's face fell slightly as what he said came back to her but she put on a fake smile.

"No, my friend Jess." Her smile became real as she thought of him again. She would tell them they were going out but she didn't want to have to drag Jess to dinner with her grandparents just yet. It was too soon in their relationship.

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Lane was at the bottom of the stairs trying to get the nerve up to talk to her parents. She was going to tell them about Henry. Now all she had to do was move. 'C'mon already! First my right foot.' She stood still. 'Move!' Still nothing. 'Hmm... How about my left foot?' Not even a flinch. 'This is not hard. I've done it a million times. Come on, move!' She finally moved. Now all she had to do was tell her parents but who knew if her mouth was going to be stubborn or not.

She walked into the living/selling area where Mrs. Kim was polishing a chair. "Mama?"

"What is it Lane?"

"Can we sit?" She looked at Lane suspiciously but nodded. "Before you say anything let me finish first. I met a boy, Henry Cho. He's Korean, he wants to be a doctor, his parents go to church every Sunday, he's a counselor at bible camp and he likes me. Can I go out with him?" Her heart was racing a mile a minute. She was so scared that she'd say no. But it wasn't as hard as she thought it'd be.

"You sure he's Korean?"

"Yes mama."

"He come here first before any date, I must know where you are at all times, and he and his family come to dinner."

"Thankyou mama! Thankyou! I'm going to go call him right now!"

"You finish your homework?"

"Yes mama."

"All of it?"

"Yes mama."

"Go ahead." Lane ran upstairs with a huge smile plastered across her face. She was so happy and relieved that she could date Henry without going behind her mother's back. She was actually excited that she could finally go on an actual date with someone she picked out! Mrs. Kim was happy that Lane was going out with a potential Korean doctor. Well, at least as happy as Mrs. Kim can get.

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It was now Monday. Rory and Lorelai had a John Cusack movie marathon on Saturday including Serendipity, Say Anything and Better Of Dead. SHe got to hangout with Lane on Sunday after bible study and Jess on Sunday night. They hungout on the bridge discussing and debating books, music, anything realy. She loved that she could talk about anything with him. Or just sit in a comfortable silence. She could talk to her mom sure. But it was different to be able to talk like that with her boyfriend. Yes, she had asked him.

_Flashback_

_They were hanging out on the bridge when she finally decided to get the akward conversation over with. "Jess?"_ _He was kissing her neck so all she got in response was a grunt. "What are we exactly?" He pulled away and smirked when he saw she was serious._

_"What do you mean?"_

_She couldn't believe he was going to make her say it and sound like an idiot. "I mean are we a couple? Are we friends with benefits? Is this casual dating? What are-" He cut her off with a long, passionate kiss. His tounge demanded entry and she willingly gave in forgetting about what she was saying. She both hated and liked that he could do that. He pulled away and she pouted._

_"We are not 'friends with benefits' and this is not casual dating so don't worry."_

_"That doesn't answer my question."_

_"What do you think we are?"_

_"Well, if I knew would I be asking you? If someone asks, do I tell then you're my boyfriend?"_

_"If someone asks do I tell them you're my girlfriend?"_

_"Yes." At first he thought she'd start the 'I asked first' 'No I did' thing. But was glad she answered. He didn't answer because, frankly, she was squirming and it was entertaining._

_"Then yes."_

_"Good."_

_"So we're dne with this subject then?"_

_"Yup."_

_"Good, now where was I?" And he started kissing her neck again recieving a slight moan and happy he had that effect on her just as she did on him. He just hoped she didn't figure that out._

_End of Flashback_

Rory was at her granparents house to pick up a book her grandpa said he'd lend her. She went to the patio where Emily and her friends from the DAR were having tea. "Oh Rory, what a nice surprise."

"Hey Grandma. Sorry to butt in like this."

"Nonsense, come meet my friends. Ladies I'd like you to meet my graddaughter, Rory."

"Well, hello Rory." One of Emily's friends said.

"Nice to meet you."

"My goodness, what a pretty girl you are." Another friend said. Rory tried her best not to blush.

"She looks just like Lorelai doesn't she?"

"The eyes."

"The nose."

"Walk around sweetie." The first woman said.

"Leave the girl alone."

"I just wana see her walk. Lorelai had such a specific walk."

"Fast."

"That was it." Rory tried not to laugh. Lorelai had told her that whenever her mother's friends were there she'd walk just fast enough to get away quickly but not to look suspicious.

"Come. Would you like some tea?" Emily asked.

"Oh no, I just came to pick up a book Grandpa was supposed to leave for me." She didn't feel like staying any longer than she had to.She realy just wanted to go to Luke's, get coffee and see Jess.

"Go check his study. It might be on his desk." She gladly left the patio and went inside. She didn't like to be the center of attention. She found the book easily and went back on the patio to say 'bye.

When she went back out her grandma seemed to be thinkning something over and the next thing she knows, they're making he try on Lorelia's old debutante dress. She looked like a ball of white fur. Literaly

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When she went into Luke's she saw a cup of coffee being poured at the counter for her by Jess. "Did you know that you are a god?" He leaned over the counter for a kiss.

"Your mom tells me that when I give her coffee."

"In that case I'm just reminding you." She took a long sip and savored it.

"Long day?"

"Eh..."

"What happened?"

"I'm coming out."

"Out of what?"

"Into society. My grandma is making me do this debutante ball thing presenting me as a woman to society." She took out a pamphlet and gave it to him. "Read."

"Why?"

"Because you're taking me?"

"How dressed up?"

"Read." He flipped through and stopped on a page and read.

"Gloves?"

"'Fraid so."

"No way."

"Please?"

"No."

"I'll help out with shifts here. Less work for you, more time with me..."

He thought it over for a minute and sighed. "When is it?"

"I love you!" She realized what she had said. "I mean thankyou for doing this for me, not I love you. Not that I don't but-"

He loved seeing her get worked up like this but figured he should stop her before she had a meltdown or bolted. "It's okay Rory. I know what you meant. So when is it?"

"This Saturday."

"So when do your shifts start?" There were three reasons he agreed. One, it's Rory and he would have said yes eventualy. Two, more time with her. And three, he didn't have to take Ms. Patty's order when she was there, therefore no pinching. From Ms. Patty.

A/N I know not much added but it's what I got so far. I loved 'Presenting Lorelai' so I decide to put the debutante ball in. Some of the dialogue is from the actuaL episode. And the idea of Rory working in the diner I got from ILoveJess1. Tell me what you think because I don't know what to thin about this chapter. I don't know when I'll update again and my other story is on hold so don't wait ofr an update on that. This fic is nowhere near done. I at least want to get 10 chapters and I'll have more time to wirte after schools out. Sorry for lack of updates. Please REVIEW!


	6. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: I own nothing, don't sue!

A/N Hey peoples! Thanks to those of you who reviewed! I appreciate the feedback on my story. Majority seems to think it's good so maybe it is. I don't trust my own judgement when it comes to my stories. Sorry it took so long to update! I got stuck. I know it's short, but I'll try to make the next chapter longer. As a reminder, I don't really know what I'm doing with my story past the ball. If you have suggestions please, please, please let me know. Excuse me if this is crap because I'm writing this kinda late. I'm looking for a beta if anyone is interested because my spelling sucks! Anyway, on with the story!

Rory had been working in the diner, as promised, before school (she had to wake up earlier), and for the dinner rush for the past two days. She was grateful her teachers weren't being that bad about the homework. She liked working in the diner for the most part. Two reason, one: free coffee and two: time with Jess. Downside: she was always on her feet dealing with fickle people including her own mother, Lorelai. She loved to tease her about working in the diner. But would only stop when she wanted more coffee, but as soon as she got it she'd start up again.

Lorelai had called Chris and he had agreed to come down for the ball. He had been there about a day but still hadn't met Jess. Rory was happpy to see him, but she wasn't sure how he'd react to Jess. WIth Dean he was pretty mellow and they got along. But Jess was more like Chris. She just hoped he wouldn't start anything until after the ball, or ever. She lo-liked Jess alot and didn't want Chris to overreact or hate him.

Lorelai had arranged dance lessons for Rory and Jess that day. Hopefully noone ends up injured. "Time to go." Rory put her hands on his shoulders and pushed him out the door. "Be back later Luke!"

"I just can't wait for all the fun to be had. I just love to be violated by Ms. Patty." He said sarcastically.

"She can keep her hands off. You're mine and I'm not willing to share."

"I'm fine with that as long as you keep her away from me." He moved so he was next to her and draped his arm over her shoulders.

"Guess who else is going to be at the debutante ball?"

"Santa Clause?"

"Nope. Tristan."

"Ah, the infamous bible boy. I don't have to beat him up do I?" He smirked when she tensed a bit. Jess and Tristan hadn't met either. And Dean's first meeting with him didn't go over all that well. But then again, Jess and Tristan are alike so she doesn't have anything to worry about right? "Relax, Ror. I'm not six feet tall with floppy hair." She smiled a bit and relaxed leaning into him more.

"I know, I prefer your crazy hair anyway."

"Oh, I see how it is. You only like me for my body."

"Of course. You thought I had an actual interest in you? Ha!"

"Well if that's the way you feel then maybe I shouldn't be going to a dance lesson wih you." He said feigning hurt and walking backwards toward the diner.

"Get that cute ass back over here." 'Jeeze! Did I just say that out loud?' Rory thought to herself. Jess started walking back towards her.

"Cute ass huh?" She blushed. "You've been spending too much time with Ms. Patty." He shook his head putting his arm around her again.

"I'm the only one who takes her order!" She said defensively. Luke and Jess made her drop what she was doing just so she would take Patty's order.

"And you don't know how much I appreciate that." He kissed her cheek.

"I warned you!" They didn't realize that they were in Ms. Patty's hearing range.

"Warned him about what dear?"

"Nothing, Ms. Patty. So can you teach us the waltz?" What Rory didn't know was that when Jess was younger, and Liz was feeling extra maternal, she forced him to take dance lessons. Fortunately for him, Liz stopped feeling that way after about three months. Just long enough to learn the waltz. He still remebered it too, so that might mean they can leave early. . .

"Of course, sweetie." They got inside and Ms. Patty tried to get near Jess but had no luck. Rory caught on and blocked her off subtly.

She positioned them so they were both facing the front wall. They had to learn to move before they could dance together is what she told them. Rory was thinking _'God, how lucky can I get. Jess is doing this for me, he's taking me to the stupid deb. ball my grandma wants me to go to, he's taking dance lessons for me. He's doing this for me. Even if I have to work in the diner, for him to agree, he didn't and doesn't have to do this.' _

Jess' thoughts were more along the lines _'I can't belive I'm doing this. Her working in the diner isn't worth this, but her smile is. God! When did I become such a sap. Oh, that's right. When Rory made me read Bronte Sisters. I was perfectly fine with my Hemingway. At least one of us is happy. But boy does she owe me..._

Chris and Lorelai had decided to stop by and see how the lessons were going. That and Christopher wouldn't stop asking about Rory's 'escort'. They got to Ms. Patty's and saw them doing the exercise. "Thank God! Coffee. Can we take a break Patty?"

"Go ahead but don't sit down, your muscles will get cold." She went outside and lit a cigarette.

"Dad, this is Jess, my boyfriend." She didn't think that she should hide the fact that she and Jess were together like she had with Dean

"So hows the dancing going?"

"We got here a little late because _somebody_ didn't want to come." Rory said looking at Jess.

"Hey! I'm here aren't I?" He said smirking.

"So we haven't been dancing for long." She said completely ignoring Jess as if he hadn't said anything and took a cup of coffee from Lorelai."

"Ballroom dancing is an incredibly sexist thing. Any woman can do it, all they need is a strong male lead." He pulled Lorelai to him so he could dance with her but she stumbled. "Well, almost any woman."

"I wasn't ready. I wasn't ready. I want a do over."

"Fine. May I have this dance?" He extended his hand waiting for her to take it.

"I don't know." She took his hand. "Do you have a trust fund?" She looked at Rory and told her "Always make sure." She and Chris then danced around the room looking like experts. When they were finished Rory's mouth was hanging open slightly.

"I'm adopted. I will never be able to dance like that."

"C'mon Rory. We haven't actually danced yet. Have a little faith in me. Any woman, including your mother, can dance as long as they have a strong male lead." Chris smirked. So far he liked Jess. From what he could tell he was definitely like him and Lorelai as teens but a bit more mature. That scored him some points as far as he's concerned.

Rory looked at Jess and smiled as he put his hand out for her and pulled her to him. They had practiced the motions so she kind of knew what she was doing. They established eye contact which, Ms. Patty said was important, and began dancing. She felt like she was floating. To her the world didn't exist because she was drowning in his eyes.

He lead her around the room, for once grateful Liz had made him take those classes. He absolutly loved the feel of Rory in his arms and how her body fit perfectly with his. He could hold her in his arms for ever and be perfectly content.

As the song came to an end, Jess twirled and dipped her gracefuly recieving applause from Lorelai, Chris and Ms. Patty. "You've done this before." Chris said matter-of-factly.

"Liz made me take dance lessons when I was 8. Key words: made me. I did it against my free will."

"Liz?" Chris asked.

"My so called mother." Jess said with a cold look in his eyes.

"Ah. So, you guys keep practicing and we'll see you later." Ms. Patty smiled at him in that way that looked like she was undressing with her eyes. Chris was able to not shudder.

"Come on, let's get you out of here before you become Patty's new husband. Bye kids." Lorelai lead Chris to the exit. "Bye, Patty."

"Bye Ms. Patty." Chris said as he neared her.

"Oh, the way you toy with me." She shook her head and smiled at him.

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"My feet hurt. Too much dancing. I figured she'd let us go early because our little preformance when dad and mom were there." Rory complained as they made their way, very slowly, to Luke's.

"She just didn't want me to leave and knows she could probably get arrested if you weren't there with me."

"Good, now I have someone to blame, you. Luke better give us the night off."

"He will. I just spent 3 hours with Ms. Patty dancing. You owe me so much."

"Just be grateful this is the only dance lesson we have to go to since we're so good."

"You still owe me." She gave him a light kiss.

"Does Luke's seem farther away to you?"

"Look at how slow you're walking! If you'd walk a little faster we'd be upstairs on the couch right now."

"My feet hurt!"

"What? You want me to carry you?" He said in his usual sarcastic manner.

"That'd be great. Thanks"

"You've got feet, use 'em." Rory grumbled something under breath that sounded like 'jerk'. "Hey, who just spent 3 hours dancing for you?"

"Fine, fine. I'm sorry." They finally got to Luke's and walked straight to the stairs.

"Hey! Where d'you think you're going?" Luke asked coming out of the kitchen.

"We just spent 3 hours dancing at Ms. Patty's. At least give us the night off Luke." Rory explained before Jess could say something that would cause them to lose their night off.

"Fine." He grunted before he walked off to serve a customer. Rory and Jess walked up the stairs and laid down on the couch. Jess on one end and Rory on the other.

"You owe me."

"So I've heard. So how come you didn't tell me you could dance. We coulda avoided Ms. Patty."

"Now she tells me. It's not something I want your mom teasing me about."

"So your mom made you take dance lessons?" She asked. She really wanted to know about Jess's past because she wanted to know him. She knew he didn't like to talk about it, but on certain occassions he'd open up. Even if it was jus a little, she was glad he did because it seemed as if he was learning to trust her more.

_FLASHBACK_

_Rory and Jess were reading together on the bridge. It somehow became their spot where they would meet if they wanted to see each other alone or just to read together. Rory looked up from her book and towards Jess. "Hey, Jess?"_

_He looked up from book. "Yeah?" He had a feeling he wasn't going to want to answer whatever she was going to ask, but knew he probably would in the end._

_"Why did you get sent here. I mean I'm glad you did, but I'm just curious. You don't have to answer if you don't want to." He thought for a few minutes,trying to figure out if he should tell her or not. Questions were running through his mind like _'what would she think?' 'would she still go out with me?' ' will she just let it stay in the past?

_After a few minutes he decided that he should tell her and see if she really cared about him or not. "I had gone to a rave and stayed out all night again. Usually Liz didn't notice because she was drunk, high and getting laid, but this was one of those rare occassions where she was sober. So when I showed up the next morning she started yelling at me and saying how worried she was. I said it was all bull since she never noticed before and I went to one my friends place to get some sleep. I went back home to grab some cash for dinner and dear ol' Liz told me I was going to live with an uncle I hadn't seen since I was 3 in some small town in Connecticut. The next morning I'm on a bus here."_

_Rory didn't say anything or look judgemental like Jess figured she would. Instead she gave him a soft loving kiss telling him that she cared about him and wouldn't judge._

_Jess never really told Rory much about his mom, but she knew she didn't like her already if that was the first time catching him. Her image of Jess had softened because she knew a little bit more why he was so cold to alot of people. That was how he was in NY and not now. She was glad Liz had caught him because if she hadn't, she probably never would have met Jess._

_END OF FLASHBACK_

"Yeah, it was after she promised to stay sober and be more like a mother. Lasted 3 months before I found her stash of coke."

"Jess, I'm so sorry." She said taking his hand in hers.

"Don't be, I'm not. If she feels like screwing up her life, that's fine with me. I don't want to end up like her. Can we talk about something else now?" Jess didn't mind sharing stuff like this with her. But he couldn't just spill his soul out to her all at once. He never had the need to tell someone about his life, but Rory changed that. She changed alot of things about him, but all for the better.

"What book are you reading?"

"I'm re-reading The Sun Also Rises..." They got into their usual banter. Through books they could communicate their feelings on certain matters. Such as whether or not love exists, what it should be like, how life should be lived, whether or not God exists, how do we know he/she does. They would read books from all themes and genres and share their thoughs about it. Jess got Rory into the habit of writing in the margins. It's how they communicated, through something they both loved and could talk about intellegently.

A/N I like this chapter. Again sorry it took so long to update but I couldn't get past the dance lesson. If the first part is crap, sorry, I wrote that at like 2 in the morning. And if the whole chapter is crap, I've been having a bit of writer's block so sorry about that. I just had to throw Tristan into the mix, I know. But I like the character. No, it won't become a TRORY fic so don't worry 'bout that. Please tell me what you think and if you have any ideas please let me know because I'm stuck after the ball. And I wrote short one-parter that I'd love some feedback on, One Door Closes, Another Opens. REVIEW!


	7. Chapter 6

Disclaimer: Not mine. Don't sue.

A/N Hey peoples! Thanx to those of who reviewed. So I'm looking for a 'beta' if anyone is interested email me at to let me know. Please tell me what you want to happen after the ball. I could really use some ideas. I hope that I can keep this story going, I will probably skip alot of stuff and completely redo season 3. Like I've said before, I don't trust my judgment most of the time so I like when you guys tell me what you think. I have gotten a couple of stupid, pointless flames so if you don't like my story don't read it. If you hate something tell me what it is, don't tell me to stop doing something I like to do because you don't think it's any good. I'm sorry about lack of updates but school is almost over, (five days ugh!) so I'll be able to update more frequently if I have the inspiration. Sorry for ranting, again. So on with the story.

Rory was walking to her locker to get a book she forgot before her bus came, when she saw Tristan pressed up against a girl in front of her locker, again. She shook her head and smiled slightly as she thought of herself and Jess in that position. She knew she wasn't ready for sex yet, but with Jess, anything's possible. When she was with Dean she never felt the need to be closer to him or press her body up against his. She never felt the passion she shares with Jess between her and Dean. It was just simple, sweet and chaste kisses in public and some makingout in private. It's not that Dean was unattractive, but it seemed like he lacked the experience to make her feel and want more.

She had, at one time felt curious and wanted to experiment. They loved each other, she was sure of that. And had been going out together for a little over a year, so why not right?

_FLASHBACK_

_Rory and Dean had the house to themselves for the night. Lorelai had to stay at the inn to fix a huge mix-up before the wedding that would be taking place the following day. So Rory decided to invite Dean over and see where the night would take them._

_They were makingout on the couch in the living room and Rory tried to get his shirt off. He noticed and pushed her away. She looked down suddenly embarrassed. It was clear he didn't want her. And that had to hurt. Most guys would have kept going, not stopping to think. But Dean wasn't most guys. He was a sweet and caring boyfriend albeit overprotective, possessive and dumb as a door nail._

_"Rory, what did you think would happen tonight?'Cause I know I'm not ready for that yet and I don't think you are either, I mean..." Rory just tuned him out trying to hold back the tears that were threatening to fall. She just put herself out there for him to take and he pushes her away. She probably should have talked to him but she wanted to feel something like passion, lust, love. _

_That's when she realized what she wanted she could never get from Dean. She told him she wasn't feeling well and just wanted to go to bed and that they could talk tomorrow. They made up when Rory said she was just caught up in the moment and he let it slide telling her to talk to him first next time and she agreed. All this happened, but a week later Rory broke it off with Dean. _

_END OF FLASHBACK_

She walked over to her locker where Tristan had yet to let go of the girl. "Tristan, let the girl catch a breath and move a couple lockers down. I need a book." Tristan broke the kiss and a very pissed Summer pushed past him and left.

"So Mary, tell me again how you got roped into becoming a 'lady of society'."

"Two words: Emily Gilmore. Come to think of it you never told me how you got roped into going."

"My parents are threatening to take away my car privileges if I make a disgrace of the family name by not attending and escorting someone to the debutante ball. Some family member of the DAR members has been in or is being in one. More my mom than dear old pop. And without a ride, how can I take girls out. It rains on my fun. Plus, now I have blackmail against you, I hear the fan dance is the event of the year." He said with a smirk.

Rory opened her locker, turned to him moving close enough he could feel her hot breath on his neck, and said "You wouldn't do that to me now would you Tris?" She pulled away before he could react and took her book out of her locker. "If you did, then I'd just have to sick Jess on you, and I really don't want to do that."

"Ah, Mary, you are such a tease. And, will I ever meet this new boyfriend of yours?"

Before she could answer a pair of strong arms wrapped around her waist and she heard Jess whisper "hey" in her ear. She rested her arms over his and put her head next to his. "Tristan, this is Jess, my boyfriend. Jess, this is my friend Tristan."

"So you're the reason Mary won't go out with me. As long as you keep her happy. Hurt her, I'll hunt you down and then proceed to kill you." Tristan smirked at how unfazed Jess seemed to be. He seemed like he'd heard this before.

"Not a chance. I'd already be dead; there are about a thousand people ahead of you for that. So what's this I hear about not being the only tortured soul going to this ball?"

"It won't be that bad." Rory defended. But she knew it would be, if not worse.

"Yes it will." Both Jess and Tristan answered. They looked at each other trying to figure the other one out. Tristan was cool with Jess. A much better match for Rory than Dean. He had too much fun messing with Dean since he had the intellect of a door nail. Jess could tell Tristan had something for Rory but knew he had nothing to worry about. She had already turned him down.

"Do you know bagboy?" Tristan asked.

"Yeah, hate him. You?"

"I don't' know how she put up with him for a year." He shook his head in mock disgrace.

"Me neither. How did you put up with him for year?" Jess turned to Rory. She really didn't know. She couldn't really talk about anything that meant anything to her and they never did anything but kiss if they had nothing to talk about. And that lost its point after a while.

"I don't really know... I don't really know how it lasted as long as it did." She said more to herself than to Jess and Tristan. She really didn't know why she stayed him as long as she did. Maybe it was because he was safe and she didn't want to lose her security blanket. Maybe it was because she was expected to stay with her 'perfect' boyfriend, because he fit in her 'perfect world and they were the 'perfect' couple...

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Rory was doing her homework on the counter at Luke's. She took a sip of the lukewarm coffee and sighed. She finally finished her article for the Franklin. Now that she had that done all that was left was to take orders, give orders to customers, refill drinks and drink a pot of coffee.

It's not that working at Luke's was bad, just the customers were. When it was dead, she would sit in Jess' lap they would read together. That was probably her favorite part of the day. Plus, Luke had started paying her. He didn't feel right having her working there and not be paid, so he paid her and she got to keep the tips she made which was alot because of her sweet personality. Yeah, she had plenty of money for books, school supplies. Just not enough for a pair of Jimmy Choo's.

She got up and grabbed the coffee pot making the rounds. She hadn't noticed that Jess was taking the order of Dean and his friends from the basketball team. But when she did, she went closer to see if she should pull Jess away or kiss him. "What. Do. You. Want?" Jess said seemingly agitated.

"Burgers, rings and a better attitude. It's not like you're not getting laid." Dean said with a smirk knowing he'd get a rise out of him and pretty sure he was wrong. Jess looked like he was going to make sure he couldn't reproduce but Rory pulled him away and kissed him passionately. Two reasons she did so, one: she hadn't kissed him for two hours because he was too much of a distraction and she needed to finish her article, and two: she knew it would piss Dean off if he thought he was right about Jess getting laid.

When they pulled apart she smiled at him and he smirked at her. "I'll take their order. Go take table 3's order, 'kay?" He just nodded and kissed her again, then went to take the order. Rory walked back to Dean's table. "What'll it be?" She asked not even looking at Dean.

"Burgers and rings." One of Dean's friends said. It was Brian. She knew him from when she was at SHH and had seen him at some of the games she went to. As she was walking away to give Cesar the order Brian asked her if he could talk to her outside. She hesitated but nodded. They went outside and she stood there expectantly. After a few moments of awkward silence he finally spoke. "Why are you going out with Jess? I mean I see the chemistry, but that can't be it."

She had no hesitation answering him. If he knew, maybe he would tell Dean and he'd leave them alone. "We have things in common. But just enough difference where we can argue intellectually about things. We both read the same books, we listen to the same music, and we watch the same movies. There's never a boring moment and we can just sit and read together. There's not always a need for words and it's great." Brian nodded understandingly. "If that's it, I need to get back to work." He nodded again and they went inside. She gave the order to Cesar and went to take another order.

It wasn't that busy so after taking a few more orders and ringing up some customers there wasn't much to do. Jess was sitting behind the counter, a book in front of his face as to ward off any customers. Rory sat in his lap and rested her head on his shoulder, kissing his neck lightly and started to read. The book was Oliver Twist so it didn't matter that he was almost halfway through it.

Dean watched with envy. He just didn't get it. He knew Rory well enough to know she wasn't shallow, but he had no idea what she saw in Jess. He turned to Brian who was finishing his rings. "What did you ask her?"

"I asked her why she was goin' out wit' Jess." He said simply.

"And...?"

"She said they got stuff in common, she can read with him just like she is now and they don't always need words. Something like that."

"What kind of things do they have in common?" He knew the stuff she liked and he could make it seem like they had things in common. '_Maybe she'd dump Jess and go back to me.'_ Dean thought to himself.

"Music, movies, books, shit like that. If you're gonna try to get her back, I wouldn't it I were you. She's happy with him and she'll just hate you if you keep trying to ruin what they got goin'."

"You don't know her like I know her so keep your mouth shut." Dean said bitterly.

"Whatever man. When she hates you even more don't say I didn't warn you."

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Lorelai and Chris walked into the diner as Dean and his friends were leaving. They sat at the counter Where Rory and Jess were still reading. "Luke'll cut your pay if you don't serve the customers and give me coffee." Lorelai said hoping to get their attention.

"He'll dock our pay if we give you coffee, not if we keep you away from it." Jess said simply and turned the page after making sure Rory was done.

Lorelai gasped. "RRRRRROOOOOOOOORRRRRRRRRRYYYYYYYYY! Your boyfriend is being mean to me! He won't give me any coffee!" Lorelai complained.

Rory kissed Jess' cheek. "Good boy." She praised just as Luke came in. He had gone into Hartford to get something. "LLLLLLLLLLUUUUUUUUUUKKKKKKKKKKEEEEEEEEEEYYYYYYYYYY! I need coffee and your employees, diner boy and diner girl, won't give me any!" Chris just watched this completely entertained. Lorelai usually didn't have to beg for coffee from Rory so he never witnessed this first hand. Rory had told him about it on the phone.

"Good. They've finally decided to help me save your life."

"Save her life?" Chris asked confused.

"You've seen all the crap she eats and all the coffee she drinks. She'll be dead by forty and if not she is a medical miracle." Luke said with disgust.

"At least I'll die happy." Lorelai said taking this chance to pour herself some coffee.

"And the way Rory eats... Lorelai is a bad influence but I'm trying to save her." Luke said truly seeming to care.

"Aww, thanks Luke but as mom put it, at least I'll die happy." Rory said as she got off Jess and went to take an order.

"I'm still working on her. It's too late for Lorelai." He turned to Jess. "I'm not paying you to read. Get to work!"

"Geeze! Not this mean to Rory." Jess muttered under his breath as he got up cleaned off a table.

Chris could tell Luke had a thing for Lorelai. Try as he might to hide it, it's blatantly obvious to everyone except Lorelai who is completely oblivious to it. But who could blame him, Lorelai's a piece of work. When Lorelai told him that he didn't know her as an adult, she was right. He wasn't there when she came here. He wasn't there when she, along with Rory, grew up. He needed to do that on his own and he did that in California. But Luke was there. If not the whole time, half the time he was there either for a coffee fix or to fix their house. Chris would always love Lorelai as she would him. But it was time that they both moved on. If they couldn't work it out before, then it simply wasn't meant to be. He needed to let Lorelai know it was okay to move on, that she shouldn't ruin every relationship she had because of the hope that they could get it together and finally be on the same page when in reality it wouldn't happen and she would end up unhappy and alone.

"Hey Rory?"

"Yeah dad?"

"When can you schedule some quality time with me?"

"Gee, I don't know. I mean I do have work, school, time with Jess, Lane and mom. Then there's Friday night dinner to go to... Oh! There's an opening in an hour when my shift ends." She smiled sweetly. "Does that work for you?"

"It's a date." Chris said smiling back at her.

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Chris and Rory were walking through the town with ice cream an hour later. "So dad, what do you think of Jess?" She asked a bit nervously.

"I like him. If you don't mind me saying, alot more than that Dean character your mom totally loved. He seems more your type. And the whole scene we walked in on earned him extra points. I figured either you'd be working or eating each other's faces." He smiled as she got a goofy smile on her face. "How long you been together?"

"About a week and a half."

"Really? You seem like you've known each other for ages. And how long were with Dean? A year and a half?" He noticed her smile falter a bit whenever Dean was brought up.

"Yeah." She said a bit distantly.

He was going into father mode now. "Okay, what did Dean do?"

"Nothing." She said a bit hastily.

"He had to have done something. You become distant and your smile fades whenever he's brought up. So what is it?" She hesitated. "I'm your dad, you can tell me. If you slept with him that's the only case I don't wana know." He smiled as she blushed and shook her head.

"He said something that really hurt, something I can't forgive him for."

"What?"

"In so many words he called me a slut, saying that Jess and I have been sleeping together."

"It's not true is it?"

"I thought you didn't want to know."

"I said I don't want to know if you slept with Dean, I however, never said anything about Jess." She smiled at how much he was like her mom.

"No it's not true. We've been together for a week and a half. And when he said it, we were only together for 2 days. It just hurt that he would think of me as that kind if girl. I mean we were together for a year and a half, and we never did anything. He knows I'm not like that. And he doesn't even know Jess. He met him for 5 minutes. That was on our first date. The only words they exchanged were 'hey'! He didn't even make an effort to get to get him! He's just bitter that I found someone who is a better match! The only reason he said that is because..." It dawned on her. Dean may have been bitter and he knew that she wasn't like that, but she did break up with him a week after she wanted to go further. She gave him some reason, no matter how absurd, to think that. _'But he should know better. I explained to him when I broke up with him that the passion between us was and is gone. And he knows I'm not that kind of girl.' _She decided that even if that had happened, he should and does know she wouldn't sleep with Jess without having more knowledge about him than his name.

Chris let her rant and get it all out of her system because if she didn't now she probably would take it out on someone else later. But now he was curious. He wanted to know why she thinks Dean said all that crap. Dean was losing some major points in his book. _'And to think Lor actually liked this guy...' _

Rory realized that she was kind of ignoring her dad. "Sorry dad. I just haven't really talked about it. Thanks for letting me rant." She hugged him with her free arm, her ice cream long forgotten in her other hand. He hugged her back and they resumed walking through the town.

"So speaking of moving on, I met someone." Chris said trying to get her mind off Dean for the moment.

That caught her interest. "Really? Who?"

"Sherry Tinnsdale. She works for Loriel."

"What kind of music does she like?"

"Well, we're complete opposites, but hey, opposites attract right?"

"She likes Country, Emo or Pop. She is in love with all the chick flicks mom and I love to mock. And if she reads, it's all romance novels. Am I right?"

"Basically. Except the only things she reads are the newspaper and company documents. But that is Sherry Tinnsdale in a nut shell."

"So she's a hermit workaholic? She is nothing like you."

"Yeah but that makes all the fun. It's not like I'm hanging out with a female version of me. Didn't you ever want a relationship like that?"

"I had one. It was great at first but after a while we had nothing to talk about, we'd fight over what to do, and eventually the relationship died. What I have now is totally different. We have common interests but there also enough difference so we don't get bored. I've had two boyfriends, complete opposites. If I had to choose one to spend the rest of my life with, I would pick Jess. I understand that the window for you and mom is closed, but that doesn't in any way mean that you should expect to spend the rest of your life with Sherry. It may be fun and exciting now but that doesn't mean it'll stay that way forever." She was speaking from first hand experience.

"I'm getting relationship advice from my daughter. God, I've sunk low."

"How many serious relationships have you had since mom?" Chris stayed silent. "What made you want one now?"

"It's time your mom and I stop ruining any relationship we have thinking we might be able to make it work. I want more kids Rory. You don't know how much I regret not being there for your first word, step, day of school, crush and date. I missed out on something big. There's not a day where I wonder what would have happened if you had both a mom and a dad. I wanted to be there for you, I really did. But I was barely able to take care of myself, let alone a family. But now I'm ready. I want to be an actual father from the start, not sixteen years too late. Can you understand that?"

"Yeah, I can. But in a way, I've always had a father figure. I always wondered what it would be like if I did have a dad, and I never realized that I have something pretty close. Don't get me wrong, I love you, but as you said, you weren't there. You did miss out on something, and it's understandable that you want to be a father again now that you can handle the responsibility. But I'm glad you're here now. That's what matters now. I love you, dad."

"I love you too, kid." He hugged her again.

A/N Yes, I am a JJ fan. I like the Chris character up until this season where he's a total ass. I also hate that he left Lorelai and Rory in the second season but I have a better understanding of why he did. Sorry if this is crap, but I really wanted it up. I hate the beginning where Jess and Tristan meet and if you want me to I'll change it best I can. Please let me know what you think. Also, as said before, I wrote a short one-parter I'd love some feedback on. It's called _One Door Closes, Another Opens_. Review please!


	8. Chapter 7

Disclaimer: Not mine. If it was, do you really think I would have made Rory sleep with Dean? Amy S. P. can keep it!

A/N Thankyou to anyone who reviewed. I hope to finish this story without alot of trouble and completely rewrite my first story completely. It is total crap compared to this story. I am still looking for a beta if someone is interested please let me know. I need one because I have to go through each chapter 4 times to get all the mistakes and yet, there's always something that I miss. I'm glad that all of you seem to like my story. I printed out a copy for my friend yesterday, I never realized that my story was so long... Anyway, on with the story.

Rory is sitting on the couch eating Chinese while watching Lorelai walk around with a book on her head while eating Chinese food. Chris is showing Jess how to tie a bowtie since the ball is the next day. "See now, only a lady can gracefully walk around a room with a book on her head while eating Kung Pao chicken. And a great lady can even spit the peanuts back into the container without anyone noticing." Lorelai said circling the couch.

"Wow." Rory said feigning amazment. She was thinking about the fan dance she would have to preform the next day. _'Mom, Jess, and dad will never let me live that down...'_ she thought to herself. It was going to be truly humiliating.

"Yeah well don't get intimidated. You have to practice alot to get to my level." Lorelai was thinking about how much fun it would be to mock Rory for the rest of her life. She vowed to herself that when she was on her death bed, she would have her last laugh thinking about Rory's fan dance. But she was also thinking about how her parents would be so proud of Rory. Like the _good_ daughter they never had. The daughter who would live a respectable life and not have children at the age of sixteen. The perfect daughter.

Rory grew up in a totaly different enviornment. She was raised to do anything she wanted and had the choices. She was supported in eveything she ever did. Even when she took dance lessons. Lorelai's childhood was much different. She was in an eviornment where you were bred and raised with money. Her parents may have loved her but they suffocated her. She had to do what she was told even if she didn't like it. If she wanted to try something that wasn't considered high class or good enough for the life of a socialite, then she would get no support, even if it was something she truly wanted to do. The more and more she was told to do something because she was expected to the more she wanted to rebel. And so she did. She sneaked out of the house and stayed out all night, she dated the most outrageous guys she could find, and when she was young and in love she had unprotected sex.

She didn't choose to get married because she knew how it would turn out. She and Chris would have lasted a week, two months tops, before he bailed. Then she would be forced to stay with her parents and submit Rory to the enviornment that tore her apart. She would not stand by and watch what happened to her happen to her baby. And yet, here she is, showing that same baby how to be lady like for her coming out into the world she ran away from.

Sometimes she wondered what life would be like if she hadn't moved to Stars Hollow. Would she be the same garrulous, coffee-addicted, life loving woman? Would Rory be the same smart, naive, prudish, bookworm she is now? Or would Rory turn out like Lorelai and Lorelai like Emily? Sometimes it ate at her wonderieng. Other times she would just think of her's and Rory's life now and how she wouldn't trade it for the world. She just hoped Rory didn't put herself through the torture of wondering and thinkig about all the 'what if' senarios.

"Anyone want the last eggroll?" Lorelai heard Rory say bringing her out of her thoughts. Everyone declined so Rory got up and started walking to get the last eggroll.

"Where are you going?" Lorelai asked.

"To get the eggroll." Rory said as it was totally obvious.

"You're getting the eggroll yourself?"

"Yes." Rory said looking at her mother as if she grew a second head.

"No! Ladies never get their own eggrolls. Ladies never get their own anything. They don't even get their own ideas." Lorelai said exasperated.

"Oh boy." Rory said knowing her mother was about to rant.

"They just sit helplessly and wait for some young strong man to come by and assist them. They don't step in puddles, they don't step over puddles. They can't even look at puddles. They actually need to be blindfolded and thrown in a sack and carried over puddles."

"Isn't there a moritorium on how long a lady should speak?" Rory said curiously. There were rules for how to walk, why not how to talk?

"Uhh, no. Now repeat after me, I am completely helpless." Rory just rolled her eyes and turned to watch Chris and Jess.

"You my friend might just be mistaken for a gentleman. Or a waiter."

"Well that's no too far from the truth." Lorelai said.

"So how exactly do you know how to do this?" Jess asked. Chris wasn't the kind of guy who would know how. He just figured someone else did it for him.

"Seventeen cotillions, a dozen debutante balls, and a brief but scarring experiment with the Children of the American Revolution." He said with a slight grimace. A very memerable night. _'God, it was cold that night...'_

"Where you wore nothing but the bowtie." She said smiling. It was hilarious to see her father's face that night.

"Good idea on conception but the sudden snowstorm instantly dampened the effect." He said smirking and shaking his head.

"I should get going so when I get there Luke won't attempt to lecture about the importance of being at a place by a certain time."

"I know how you feel, mom always starts ranting about that."

"Yeah, because she knows you purposely wait in the car for an extra five minutes when we get there then argue with me about ringing the bell." Rory said matter-of-factly.

"Right well, I'll be on my way." He said walking into the foyer with a slight smirk. How he got himself into this mess he had no idea, but he was having fun watching Rory and Lorelai banter, every once in a while including him. He was a bit jealous. He never had that kind of relationship with his mother, or anyone. He had to look out for himself since he was old enough to. That was the way his life was up until now. He had more than one person who cared. Even if Luke didn't say it, it was unspoken that he would always be there for him when need be. And Rory cared for him like no one else. She wanted to know when something was wrong, to make him happy, just be with him. And he wanted to do the same for her. No one had ever done that for him or even tried. He didn't want to let anyone in because he didn't want someone to see him vulnerable but, once again, Rory changed that. She made him want to feel something, love, true happiness.

"I'll walk you out." Rory said getting up. She loved that Jess and her parents were able to get along so well. She knew her mom still had some doubts, but she didn't voice them and she was grateful. She was happy, happier than she's ever been. It's not like it was when she first started dating Dean. This was so much better than that. It's not all about sweet talk, chaste kisses, checking in and calling each other every other hour, spending every free moment together doing nothing of interest to both. It's about intellectual conversations about books, sharing opinions in music, enjoying each other's company in comfortable silences and passionate yet gentle kisses that express love. It was totally different and she loved it.

She walked to where he was standing and opened the door following him out. As soon as she colsed the door his arms were wrapped around her and he was kissing her neck. She turned around wrapping her arms around his neck. His lips trailed kisses up her jaw until they reached her lips where she instantly opened her mouth allowing him to deepen the kiss. Some how her hands became entangled in his hair and he pulled her closer to him. When she felt like her lungs were going to burst she pulled away and rested her forehead against his. He pouted slightly and she smirked. He had the cutest pout she couldn't help but place another kiss on his lips, but she pulled away before he could deepen the kiss and cause them to go into another mini makeout session. "I would love to continue with this but my parents are inside and if I don't get inside soon I can't guarantee that my dad won't come after you once I'm inside."

"That would make it kinda hard to kiss you wouldn't it?"

"My guy is smart. Now get. I need you to be able dance tomorrow."

"I'm going, I'm going. Geeze, and to think you like me. Hmph." He turned around and was about to walk away when he felt her tap his shoulder.

"So what, no extra kiss?" She said with a pout of her own. He turned back around and placed a feather light kiss on her lips, just barely brushing his lips against hers and walked away. zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

The next day they arrived at the reception hall. Rory and Lorelai stayed by the entrance looking around. Jess and Chris had come earlier because they got sick of waiting for Lorelai to finish getting ready. Rory turns to the stairs. "Wow. This place is huge." Beat. "Do I have to walk down those stairs?"

"Oh, I'm afraid so. Unless you wanna make a really memorable entrance and just sliiide down the banister. Which I totally encourage, by the way." Lorelai replied with a completely strait face. Then a lady comes up to them looking them over slightly.

"And you are..." She said a bit snidely.

"Lorelai Gilmore." Rory said politely.

"Late." The lady corrected rudely.

"Sorry, my fault. Took me awhile to get pretty. Not all of us are still sixteen, you know what I mean?" The lady looks at her coldly. "I guess not..."

"You are to go up the stairs. The preperation room is on the right." She said before walking away and up the stairs.

"Look for the toxic cloud of Chanel and Final Net." Rory nodded and walked to the stairs. When she was at the bottom she turned to Lorelai who then mouthed 'sliiiiide' and motioned with her arms to do so. She shook her head and continued up the stairs. When they reached the top the lady showed her where to put her dress and which mirror to use. She sat down next to a girl who seemed to be deep in thought.

"I'm Libby." The girl said turning her attention to her.

"Rory."

"Uh, which one should I wear?" The girl said holding up two sticks of identical lipstick. "I've thought about this all month and I cannot decide."

"Oh, well, that's a tough one." Rory said feigning interest. She was used to these types. They were at both Chilton and SHH, the superficials.

"I know, this is red red and this is orange red. Pick the wrong one and I'll end up looking like a hooker. Or a teacher." The girl said seemingly deeply disturbed.

"That's alot of pressure."

"The two minutes you're up there determine your social status for the rest of your life."

"Wow, what if you trip? I mean, not that you would. You wouldn't. I might. Probably will actually. Could be a real Cirque du Soleil kind of night." Rory rambled a bit nervously. She didn't want to offend the girl. She seemed nice... enough.

"Don't even joke about that." Libby said seriously. zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

Luky for Jess, Tristan was there by the time he got there. He looked completely bored as the rest of the guys rushed around trying to do their hair and get dressed. Tristan was all ready so he just watched. Jess approached him, book in hand. "Know wonder Mary likes you so much, you read too."

"Why do you call her Mary? I mean I get the whole Virgin Mary thing, but why?"

"Dunno, just fits. It used to drive her nuts and that was enough for me. But some how it became a nick name. Bag boy hated that I had a nick name for her and he didn't."

"Not like he could come up with one if he tried." Jess scoffed.

"True. So what's up with Mary and bag boy? She usually tells me to stop when I'm makin' fun, but last time she just joined in." It was true. Rory would defend Dean to Tristan as she did Tristan to Dean. She didn't understand why they hated each other so much. Tristan would bad mouth Dean, and Dean would get upset any time she mentioned Tristan in a conversation.

"That's somethin you gotta ask her."

"Fine. So is my Mary still a Mary?" Tristan asked with a smirk.

"Ask her yourself." Jess said his face showing no emotion as to see how well he knew Rory.

"I'm not exactly sure how to take that so I'm going to guess yes?" Tristan said unsurely. He knew Rory wasn't that kind of girl but had a feeling if she were no longer a Mary then it would probably happen with Jess. _'...better choice than bag boy...'_ zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

Rory was ready and just reading a book. She had enough of watching the rest of the girls finish preping and primping. Not at all amusing. Thank God she brought a book with her. _'How did I get sucked into this? Maybe mom is right, maybe grandma is a minipulator. But maybe I'm just too nice sometimes... I'm going with the latter...'_ Rory thought to herslf as she looked around. Libby came up to her holding a flask.

"Midori Sour?"

"Oh, no thanks." She didn't really want to get drunk and trip down the stairs. The never ending stairs. She really wished she didn't have to do this right now.

"More for me. At my last coming out, I shared with this girl who couldn't handle her booze. Neon green puke all over her white dress." _'Now that's a funny image, gross yes, but funny.'_ Rory chuckled softly.

"Last coming out?" She couldn't imagine doing this more than once.

"Oh this is my fifth one this year." Libby said as if it was nothing.

"Wow." _'Five of these in one year. Five dresses, five curtsies, five fan dances...' _She involutary shuddered slightly.

"You know, they say four out of five debs marry their escorts."

"Kind of like the dentists with Trident." Rory said trying to steer the conversation in a different direction. But that didn't exactly work.

"Well I figure, five coming out balls, five escorts, one of them has to stick, right?"

"Good logic."

"So is your escort the one?"

"The one?" Rory didn't exactly want to think about marrying anyone right now. Though she didn't mind thinking about marrying Jess, she wanted to have a steady job, something to fall back on before getting married. They hadn't even said I love you to each other. It was too soon to think about that let alone marrige.

"The one you're going to marry."

"Oh, well..." She didn't really know what to say.

"Is he cute?"

"Well, yeah he's really cute..."

"Where are you guys planning to live when you get married?"

"Okay hold on a second." She hadn't even said yes and she's asking where they're gonna live. _'She's had one too many shots if you ask me...'_ Rory thought to herself as another girl came up to Libby. Right then Rory saw Tristan and Jess looking around. She thanked God momentarily and walked over to them. At least all the girls were just doing hair and makeup now.

When Jess saw Rory his breath caught. She looked like a princess to him, but he couldn't tell her that. As she approached he smirked. "You look like a ball of white fluff."

"Thankyou, Jeeves."

"Hey, who said I don't like balls of fluff?" He leaned down kissed her lightly.

"So Tristan, which one of these lovely ladies are you escorting?" Rory asked.

"A girl named Li-" He was cut off as Libby came up to them.

"You know Rory, Tristan?" She didn't let him answer because she saw Jess next to Rory. "Is he your escort?" She asked Rory nodding to Jess.

"Yeah, he is." Rory said proudly. Who knew that three weeks ago Jess Mariano would be wearing a tux at a deb ball?

"You are totally getting married." Libby said before pulling Tristan away to her mirror. She held up the same two lipsicks as before. Tristan looked like he'd rather be anywhere else.

"What did she say?" Jess asked.

"She said we're getting married."

"How nice of you to let me know now that I can't leave. No wonder I'm wearing a tux and you look like a ball of white."

"She says there's a statistic that shows evey four out of five debs marry their escorts."

"Well, that makes more sense. So when are we telling your parents?" Just then Chris appeared.

"Tell us what?" Chris said with a smirk.

"Later dad."

"You haven't impregnated my daughter have you?" Rory blushed and Jess shook his head not knowing if he was joking. "Well good, now I don't have to kill you. It'd be a shame 'cause I really like you."

"Right, well dad, we'd better get in line."

"I'll go save Tristan and meet you downstairs, Mrs. Mariano." He smirked and walked in Tristan's direction.

"What did he call you?"

"Nothing dad." She said with a slight smile as they got into line.

"Last chance to shimmy drown the draine pipe." He whispered to her.

"Just promise one thing." She whispered back.

"Anything."

"Don't let me fall."

"Same goes for me."

"Good evening. On behalf of the Daughters of the American Revolution, I would like to welcome you to our annual debutante ball. Oh this brings back so many memories. I myself came out in this very hall in nineteen…well, let's just say, a number of years ago. Now the word debutante comes from the French word debuter, which means to lead off..." They heard the lady start. They both tuned her out after that. She seemed to be droning on about the history of debutante balls or something equally boring. So Rory started a game of rock, paper, scissors. Rory beat Chris five out of eight times is how bored they were. But they stopped when the lady came into the room and gave them a look that made chills go down their spines. They heard some names be called and moved up in line.

"Elizabeth Dotie, daughter of George Edward Dotie the fourth, and Elenor Dotie. Lorelai Gilmore, daughter of Christopher Hayden and Lorelai Gilmore." They walked down the stairs, fake smiles plastered to their faces. Rory saw Jess waiting for her and her smile got even bigger. When they reached the bottom Chris kissed her hand and gave it to Jess who in turn kissed her hand and walked her down the isle where she was to wait unitl the dreaded fan dance began. zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

Rory and Jess are walking behind Chris and Lorelai to the diner. "So, did you know you're considered a hot dad?"

"Hah!" Lorelai said triumphantly.

"Really?"

"Libby says it's too bad you're my real dad because if you were my step-dad I could steal you away from mom."

"Ugh."

"That Libby's got a good life ahead of her."

"So Chris, Lorelai, Rory and I have something to tell you." Jess took Rory's hand in his and they smiled at each other.

"Ooh, Jess spoke with proper english, must be important." Lorelai cooed.

"Actually, we're getting married." Lorelai and Chris both continued walking.

"Fine with me as long as **_you_** tell the grandparents. Not too sure they'd be happy with this." Lorelai said calmly taking all the fun out of it.

"You know the statistic don't you?" Rory asked Lorelai.

"Every four out of five debs marry their escorts. One the moms told me."

"Well that killed it. I don't think I wana marry you anymore Jess." Rory said.

"Fine with me Ms. Gilmore." Jess said smirking.

"Well, I'm proud of all of you. You all made it through the entire ceremony with a strait face. Almost all of you." Lorelai looked pointedly at Chris.

"I'm sorry, but that fan dance was more than I could take."

"Hey, I want a burger." Lorelai said.

"I second that." Rory said.

"All I can think about is getting out of this tux."

"Hey, watch it, you're talking in front of a lady now." Lorelai said.

"That's the point." Jess said with an evil glint in his eyes and a smirk.

"Hey! It's my job to be crude! Not fair! You're trying to replace me!"

"Yes Lorelai, you've figured out my evil plan to get rid of you and have Rory all to myself." Jess said dryly.

"I knew it!" Lorelai replied ignoring his tone.

"I have to get back to Boston first thing in the morning so I'm gonna call it a night." Chris said.

"Not even time for fries?" Rory asked sadly.

"Look, I'll get up early and have coffee with you before I leave. Deal?"

"Deal." Rory said happier. Hopefully, now that Chris was living in Boston she could spend more time with him. Maybe then he could make up for the time he missed out when she was growing up.

"Why don't you two go ahead and order for us. I'll be there in a sec." Lorelai told Rory and Jess.

"Okay." Rory answered and followed Jess inside.

"I just wanted to tell you how amazing you were tonight. Really, you completely came through for her." Lorelai said. She was happy he was acting more like a father. It seemed like he was really getting his life together and following through with his responsibilities.

"She deserves it." He planned to be the father he wasn't before. He might not have been there before but he was here now and he wasn't going to let anything get in the way of being there for his daughter.

"I haven't always given you a lot of credit in the past, but I'm giving you credit now. Big credit. Major credit. Buy yourself a sofa."

"Thanks. I will." He smiled.

"You know, um, I happened to be looking through some old maps this afternoon and I couldn't help but notice that Boston is not that far away." She said a bit ditzily.

"Aw, you needed a map to tell you that?"

"I also noticed that that, um, I-84 is a very good road. Solid, paved." She rambled a bit.

"Uh huh." Chris said knowing where this was going.

"And I put this information in my pretty little head, I was thinking, if you wanted to maybe drop by occasionally, it wouldn't be too difficult."

"You realize I'll be driving the Volvo?"

"Actually, I'm coming around to the Vovlo."

"Really?"

"Yes. I think it's sort of a Catholic schoolgirl thing, you know? It's conservative on the outside, bad on the inside." Lorelai said flirting.

"I like that image."

"I've also heard the I-84 can get jammed on the weekends."

"It can."

"So if you wanted to stay a little longer, just to avoid the traffic, it might be a good idea. I mean, Rory would definitely love it, and I wouldn't mind either."

"That is a tempting offer, but I really have to get back."

"To work?"

"To work…and to someone."

"Oh." Lorelai said flatly. She didn't expect him to wait for her forever, but it still hurt.

"I know I should've told you." Chris said now feeling guilty.

"Oh no, that's fine. That's totally your business." Lorelai said feeling pretty damn stupid.

"No, I meant to, but…Lor, it's just that you and I are so connected and...

"Chris, please, I get it. I think it's really great, I really do."

"Thank you.

"So who is it? Ooh, let me guess. Linda from marketing got to you, didn't she?

"Her name is Sherri."

"Sherri from marketing?"

"Sherri from Boston."

"Ah, hence the move."

"Yes."

"Is it serious?"

"It's getting there."

"Seeing you in just a bowtie serious?"

"We're living together."

"Wow, you really have changed."

"Yeah, well, Sherri made it pretty clear that I was gonna lose her if I didn't start getting it together, so..."

"Yeah, well if you find a girl who's good with dating a square in a Volvo, you do what it takes to keep her."

"Okay, uh, so I'll. . .I'll see you back home."

"Yes you will. " She smiled sadly as she watched him walk back to the house in his tux. She turned around and went into the diner. As she walked in she saw Rory about to bite into a burger. "After all you've been through tonight and I come in here and find you eating like that?" Rory lifts her pinky. "There ya' go."

"Wow, being a lady is hard."

"So where's Jess?"

"Changing, Luke's making him help close." Jess comes down the stairs wearing a flannel shirt, jeans and a backwards baseball hat. "Speak of the devil."

"Oh! He's mini Luke!"

"I'm not going to flirt with you Lorelai so don't bother asking." Jess said as he came up to Rory and kissed her before wiping down the counter.

"Ugh, Rory, did you just hear what your boyfriend said to me!" Lorelai said unbelievingly.

"Yup, and he's right. I'm not sharing him so go get the other Luke." Rory said before taking a bite of her burger. Lorelai just stared in shock and eventually recovered started to tease Rory about the fan dance. Yup, life was good.

A/N Even if I did use almost all of the script for this it still took me a long time to write so I better get reviews! J/k! Yes I did leave out Emily and Richard fighting, I know. The fight did happen and Jess didn't meet them yet since they left early. And I know that there's more dialogue than usual but I wasn't sure what to write. I'm only done with it now because I'm trying to update more and I didn't want you guys to wait too long. See how nice I am. Well school is officially out so I will have more time to write. Please review!


	9. Chapter 8

Disclaimer: Yes, it was I who made Rory turn Jess down and sleep with Dean... Eww! No, Amy S.P. can keep it! It's all hers anyways...

A/N So sorry it took me so long to update this but I rewrote this because I got an inspiring review from Knowhere that made me want to redo it. So, I didn't get a big response from the last chapter, but I got over 100 reviews! Yay for me! So thank you to those who did review, and I'm sorry I don't know who the hundreth reviewer was... I don't know where I'm going to take this story. I have some ideas in mind but I don't know if you'll like them so please give me some ideas! I don't want to be an author who gives up on their stories or takes two years to update, (no offense to those who've done that. Writer's block sucks!) and I want to be able to finish this sometime this summer or fall. Really depends on how long I make this. Please give up some ideas and take the time to review. So on with the story!

Rory, Lane and Jess were walking through town. Rory and Lane hadn't been together as much because of school, boyfriends, work and bible study but did call each other as often as they could. It worked out great since Mrs. Kim started going to a new bible study group from eight to ten which left the house empty and the phone line free.

Lane could talk to Jess and didn't feel like third wheel when she was with both of them. She was definitely impressed that he could hold his own in a conversation about music. They disagreed on certain things but she had alot of fun discusing it with him since she and Rory liked all the same music. But they weren't so close that they'd be considered great friends. In school they'd wave or at least acknowledge the other. Lane could really see how compatible Rory and Jess were. From books to music to movies she knew that Rory could see more in Jess than she could ever see in Dean. Lane hadn't hated Dean and they were nice to each other but Rory and Dean didn't clik. Dean was the nice all American boyfriend which most mothers would love but they didn't have anything in common. And Dean was so... boring. Just two dementional, good guy to jealous prick and back. She knew that Jess had layers which made him interesting but his good looks and bad ass attitude made him irresistable. Lane had decided to give him the stamp of approval.

Jess could stand Lane. She was one of the more real people in this town. When he first met her he thought she was just some extremely peppy girl but as he hung out with her and Rory more she seemed different. Perfect for this town but if need be she could be fierce. He thought it weird when he found that she was hiding her real persona from her mom but once he met Mrs. Kim, that was all the reasoning he needed. But he still envied her, not that he'd tell anyone that. At least her mom cared about her enough to make up what seem like stupid rules to most to keep her safe. Lizzie had never done that. Once he had fallen into the bad crowd and she'd found out about it, you could only imagine her reaction.

He noticed that Lane and Rory were like each other in alot of ways but he saw the differences and why they could be as close as they were. He hadn't really ever had real friends. The ones that wouldn't bail on you when something went wrong or you got caught doin' something. He didn't want to be part of the reason that Rory lost someone like that so he didn't mind hangin with Lane once in a while.

"I'd better go before Mama sees me hangin with Jess." Lane told them stopping in front of the diner.

"Because she loves me so much." Jess said sarcastically.

"She hates all American boys that talk to me. And it's not like you made such a great first impresion."

"One, I'm part Italian so that's gotta count for something and two, sarcasm is a foreign language to your mother." Jess defended.

"You told her that us doing homework was just a cover for us to makeout." Lane said pointedly.

"Jess! Now she'll hate me even more for dating you! Thankyou." Rory said hitting his arm playfully. Mrs. Kim never came out right and said she hated her but she could feel it in the way she looked at Rory.

"At least you're not alone in being hated by Mrs. Kim." Jess said wrpping his arms around Rory.

"I have a feeling your going to get really sickening so I'll see you later." She waved at them and turned to go home.

"I like Lane." Jess told Rory.

"In a way I should be worried or as friends."

"I'm sorry Rory, but my true feelings are for Lane." Jess said, sarcasm dripping from the sentence. "No, really. She's one of the more real people in this town. And not bad taste in music."

"Well, I'm glad. that you guys get along so well. It'd suck if you guys hated each other'cause then it'd be hard to hang out with both of you at the same time." Rory said just a Luke opened the door.

"Are you guys going to come in and help me or stay out here talking?"

"Stay."

"Then you lose your pay for today and you can't go out Saturday. And no coffee for you, Rory."

Rory gasped. "You wouldn't."

"Wouldn't I?"

"Come on Jess. If I don't get my coffee I won't be happy and if I'm not happy, neither are you." Rory told him. Luke smirked and went back inside with Rory and Jess in tow. Rory walked behind the counter to get the coffee pot and looked around to see if anyone needed a refill and her eyes landed on Dean who was reading a book with a pen in hand. She had to bite her tounge to keep herself from laughing. She beckoned Jess over who was standing at the register waiting for a customer to finish. He walked over to her and looked to where she pointed and a smirk formed on his face. He was about to go over there but Rory motioned that she would go instead. She walked over to his table refilled his coffee tried to read the cover of the book but couldn't see. "What book is that?" She wanted to know which book he was reading and whether or not he would really read the book or he wanted to impress her.

"Anna Karenina." He knew that was one of her favorite books, he was trying to impress her.

"Huh." She was trying to see if she could annoy him by speaking like Jess.

"Why?" He was hoping that his plan was working, if she'd forgive him and realize that they had things in common. Even if he had to read every damn book he could get his hands on to prove that.

"No reason. And the pencil is for?" She knew he was trying to be like Jess and write notes in the margins but he wasn't smart enough to have the insight that could even compare to that of Jess.

"Notes." He said as if it was obvious.

"Huh. School?"

"No reason. Just felt like reading something." He shrugged and she nodded and went to refill someone else's coffee before she pointed out that he hated reading and if he did read it was comic books, with lots of pictures.

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"Dean was reading a book?" Lane asked Rory over the phone. They were telling each other about their days after Lane went home. And talking about boy problems.

"Anna Karenina. And he was writing notes in the margins." Rory said as if it was one of the most bizzar things. Whenever Rory wanted Dean read a book he complained. He hated reading anything if it wasn't for school or a comic book. He didn't even want to read Lord of the Rings books. They were too long for him. He never wanted to do something of interest to both of them. Which was another reason they hadn't worked out. They were too different to be perfect for each other as everyone else put it.

"If you ask me, he's trying to be more like Jess so you'll go back to him. He wants to impress you, cause let's face it, he's not over you."

"I know, and I feel bad that he's trying so hard. I mean, I may never forgive him for what he said but this is just getting out of hand. Do you think I should talk to him?"

"Yeah, you need to talk to him. Explain why you can't work out and why you don't want to try. Maybe you can still be friends?"

"I don't think so Lane. We were friends before and it'll just be the same. I think it's best if we go our seperate ways and go on with our own lives." Beat. "Enough about my love life, I wana hear about yours." Lane hadn't shared much with Rory so she was really interested.

"Well I don't know. I mean Henry is nice and smart and fun, but there's something missing you know? Like we don't clik. And I thought haing a boyfriend would be great." Lane said sadly. She and Henry had gone out a couple times and went through that sickening faze of 'you hang up first' 'no you' and 'you're the best' 'no you are' but she hadn't really felt anything. Some butterflies but thoses went away after the second date and they couldn't really relate. She was the punk princess in disguse and he was the future big shot doctor. Two different people who didn't have the chemistry to be more.

Rory felt bad for Lane. She was so happy that she and Henry could date without sneeking around but now she sounded like Rory had at the end of the DeanandRory era as Lorelai had put it. But maybe it was the prospect that Henry was a part of Lane's life that she didn't have to hide. "Lane, your first boyfriend isn't always going to be great. It's not the title of 'fisrt boyfriend' that makes the realtionship great, it's the people in the relationship. You're going to date some peoplemaybe once or twice and realize he's not the guy for you. And eventualy you'll find the guy you want to spend the rest of your life with."

"How will I know he''s the guy for me though?"

"You'll just know. The butterflies won't go away and your heart will always race faster. His kisses will make your blood freeze. He'll make you feel like no one else ever could if they tried and he'll make you feel safe when you're in his arms."

"You love Jess!" Lane squeeled momentarily forgetting about her love problems. "When are you going to tell him?"

"I'm not. At least not yet. It's too soon. We've only been together for a little less than three months Lane... And what if he doesn't feel the same? I know it'd be hard for him to say it, but what if it's not that he can't, it's that he doesn't want to?"

"That boy is crazy about you. The way he looks at you and how he holds you. You've found something most people go throughout their lives looking for. Hold onto him." That's when Lane decided that she wasn't going to lead Henry on, she was going to break up with him.

"You really think so?"

"I really do." Lane said confidently.

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It was Friday again so Rory and Lorelai were standing outside arguing over who should ring the door bell yet again. "I rang it last week, mom!"

"So? Ring it again." Lorelai persisted adding a pout and puppy dog eyes.

"I'll keep the coffee away from you at Luke's." Rory said unfazed by the face her mother had on.

"Evil child. You've been spending too much time with Luke." Lorelai said as Emily answered the door.

"What are you two doing out here? Come inside. Dinner is ready." Emily said tiredly. The new cook had prepared dinner early and now it was getting cold. She was getting sick of having new maids and cooks in and out of her house, mansion, every week. More so everyone teasing her about not being able to keep them longer than a month.

"Hello to you too, mom. We're doing fine how 'bout yourself?" Lorelai said sarcastically as they took off their coats and made their way into the dining room.

"Hi, grandma. Where's grandpa?"

"Still in his study. Richard! The girls are here!" Richard had been in his study all day only coming out to eat and use the restroom the back to the study and frankly Emily hated it. She wanted to see her husband more than at meals.

Richard came into the room a few minutes later and sat down at the head of the table. "Hello, Rory. Lorelai." He said politely before filling his plate.

"So Rory, how's school?" Emily asked

"School is fine. I got an A on my math test yesterday."

"That's wonderful. Most people have problems with math now'a days. But not the Gilmores. Or some." Rochard started proudly then looked pointedly at Lorelai briefly.

"Math is hard. I don't like math. It's actually evil, one day math is going to turn against us all and lead to the distruction of the Earth. Besides, not all people are geniouses like Rory, here." Lorelai said.

"One, math is not evil and two, I'm not a genious." Rory said. Emily and RIchard knew Lorelai enough to stop questioning her theories because they often led to headaches.

"How's the inn Lorelai?" Richard asked changing the subject."

"Fine."

"And how is Jess Rory? We're still sorry we didn't get the chance to meet him."

"He's fine." Rory said with a slight smile. Just hearing his name made the butterflies move a little.

"So why have you been spending so much time with Luke?" Emily had heard Lorelai comment on that earlier and now she was curious.

"Huh?" Rory asked somewhat confused. Emily and Richard didn't know that she worked in the diner. SHe hadn't wanted to get into an argument and that was going fine until just a second ago.

"Your mother said you were spending alot of time with Luke. I'm just inquiring as to why." Emily said simply. Why would Rory be hanging around the guy who was in love with her mother? There had to be a logical explaination.

"I, um, I'm working in the diner now." Rory said nervously. She was anticipating an eruption any moment.

"You're what!" Emily asked clearly outraged. Why would her granddaughter be working, in a diner no less?

"I'm working in the diner after school and weekends."

"But why?" Rory really didn't feel like telling her grandparents it was the only way Jess would escort her. That wouldn't be a great first impression. "If it's the money we can help isn't that right Richard?"

"We don't need the money. I'm just learning, um, work ethic and making some extra money for books. It makes me, um, feel like I've earned what I enjoy." Rory told her grandparents. Emily still had a look of distaste and Richard a sense of pride. His granddaughter was learning something important that most people didn't learn until out of college.

"Well good for you, Rory. I'm glad you've decided to work for the things you want. It's a mean world out there and things aren't going to be handed to you on a silver platter unless you work for them." Right then a maid brought in the desserts on a silver platter. "Not including food, that is." Richard said with a small smile.

"Rory, if you wanted a job you could have come to your grandfather, he could have given you some position." Emily pushed.

"But I don't want to come to you for every little thing. You're already paying for Chilton, I didn't feel it was that important. Besides, it's in Stars Hollow and I go there after school anyway. I also get to spend more time with Jess and Mom since she always comes for coffee." Rory said a smile forming on her lips as she thought of reading with Jess.

"Well, I for one am proud of Rory. She's been working hard, attending to my every need. And the diner patrons." Lorelai said.

"Like I don't do that at home." Rory scoffed playfully. She shared a knowing look with Lorelai.

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"Hi Dean." Rory said nervously over the phone. She called Dean so that she could explain once and for all why she didnt want to be with him.

"Rory?" He said slightly confused. Maybe his plan was working and she was calling to tell him she broke up with Jess for him? Or bad news like she was dying from something caused by all that coffe she drinks? He really hoped it wasn't the latter...

"Um, yeah. Can you meet me at. um, the basketball courts at the high school?" She wanted to talk to him where he wouldn't be able to make a scene but not one of her and Jess' spots like the bridge.

She had talked to her mom and Jess and they both agreed that she should clear the air with Dean. Jess said he was getting sick of Dean staring at him, it was starting to get a bit creepy. But truly he was sick of the effect this was having on Rory. She didn't like confrentaion or have anyone n the town hate her since she would run into them alot, fate didn't always agree with her. Jess insisted she be somewhere he could keep an eye on Dean, so he would just happen to be practicing his basketball that day.

"Sure. Be there in ten minutes." Dean smiled._'My plan is working. Rory and I will finally be together...'_ Dean thought to himself.

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Rory was sitting on the bleachers watching Jess shooting hoops and making every one. He wasn't one for team sports and wasn't going to be trying out for the team, but it was a way getting his mind off things anddoing something at the same time. He had been playing since he was ten. When he wanted to leave the apartment and it was too dark to read, he'd play at the playgrounds, anything to escape Liz's boyfriends.

As Dean approached the basketball courts he saw Rory sitting on the bleachers watching someone play, he couldn't tell who it was. But as he got closer he realised that it was Jess. _'WHat is he doing here? Maybe Rory is going to break up with him right now and then leave with me... yeah, that's. Why else would she want me to meet her?'_ He had no clue of what was really going to happen. Sometimes ignorance is bliss.

"Hey Rory." He said as he walked up to her from behind.

"Oh. Dean. Hi." Rory didn't notice him. She was too deep in her thoughts about what to say to him. That and watching Jess play. She was kind of worried at first about what would happen and what his reaction would be, but felt a bit better when she saw that Jess was there as promised. "Uh, you might want to sit down." Dean did as she said. "Please don't interupt me because if you do I don't know if I'll be able to start again." She saw him nod slightly. "Okay first off, I know you've been trying to prove to me that we do have things in common. But we don't. You hate to read and I'm tired of trying to make you understand why I love it so much. We can't mock really bad movies together or listen to the same music. You love sports and mechanics and I find that dull and boring. We don't click anymore. Opposites attract, but in some cases that just isn't true. We can't do something together and both be happy about it. We fight and then kiss and make up but that doesn't work anymore.

"That's another thing. The passion is gone. Or maybe there never was any. Just chemistry, but that faded after awhile. My blood doesn't rush when our hands brush against each other. I don't get butterflies and my heart doesn't race when I see you or hear your name. My blood doesn't freeze when you kiss me and you don't make me want or need more.

"This may seem harsh to you, but sometimes the truth hurts. And I need you to understand that we don't fit. I'm sorry but we don't belong together and we won't be together." She finished a bit sadly. She would always care for Dean and now, she was finishing that chapter of her life, starting from her first kiss until now. But she was looking forward to the next chapter of her life with Jess.

"And you fit so well with Jess!" He asked angrily. This was not how it was supposed to be. They were spposed to be together.

"As a matter of fact, yeah, we do." Her voice rising a bit. She was sick of this. Why couldn't he just accept it and try to move on?

"He's a sarcastic, smart ass, no good jackass Rory! He'll never be man you deserve."

"You're not even half the man he is so don't be talking! I love him so move on with your life. I'm sick of this. You being jealous for no reason, we are not together! Why can't you just accept that?" Rory hated yelling but right now she was beyond upset.

"Because I love you!"

"Yeah well, sometimes you gotta let the ones you love go and move on with your life." Rory said her voice lower. She gave him one last look before walking towards Jess who was already making his way over. She met him half way and allowed him to envelope her into his arms while she silently cried, hopefully for the last time, because of Dean.

A/N I am sooooooooooooo sorry about the long wait but I had no idea what to write. Writer's block sucks! I don't know where the last part came from and I'm not sure if it's any good so please tell me. I need to know if you guys want a rewrite of this chapter. Alot of this was written pretty late at night so sorry for grammar mistakes. And as it is now 12:30 am right now I'm sure that there will be mistakes that I miss. Please drop a line to let me know what you think. And be specific so I know what should stay and what I should change. Once again I am soooooooo sorry about taking three weeks to update. I'll try to do better next time. REVIEW please!


	10. Chapter 9

Disclaimer: I own only the character(s) I have created and the plot. The rest belongs to Amy S.P.

A/N Thankyou to those of you who reviewed. Oh, would like to especially thank Slowthinwaitwha because her review made me laugh and made me want to start this chapter right away. I'm glad that you liked the last chapter. I'm sorry if you thought that I would have Dean kiss Rory and have Jess misunderstand and leave because that is so overdone. And if Dean did kiss Rory, she'd slap him again and Jess would beat the crap out of him. I didn't want that to happen because I want Jess to seem more mature and understanding because that's how I like to picture him. And if Apolla-J is reading this, please update your story! She had that happen, but in that story it fits better. You should read it, it's really good. It's called People Change. This first part is going to be from Dean's POV because this is the last time he will have a major part in this fiction. Rory and Jess's realtionship will be focused on more and I will try to do more Luke and Lorelai's for you JavaJunkie fans. Enough with my rambling, on with the story!

As I walked away from the bleachers it finally hit me. Rory was truly not in love with me anymore and was happy with Jess. I still don't understand what she sees in him, but I guess it's time for me to back off now. If he makes her happy then I guess I should find someone that I can make happy. I just wish none of this had happened. Why do I have such a big mouth? Why couldn't I just be a man and accept that we won't be together. My heart literally stopped when I heard her say she loves him. This was the same girl who couldn't tell me she loved me without going through a horrible breakup.

Maybe our relationship wasn't as great as it seemed. It really wasn't. She's right, neither of us could be happy at the same time for the most part. I hate reading while she could spend the entire day curled up with a book and coffee. She hates Lord of the Rings no matter how many times we've seen it together. I think I knew most of this before but was blinded by the illusion that we were perfect togeth just like the town said, when in reality, we aren't that compatible. Whoa, that was deep. Where did that come from? Okay, scaring myself a little.

And Jess is sorta like her. He reads books just like her. But that might be the only thing they talk about, right? I know that's wrong. I thought back to the day when Brian told me I should back off. Man, I should have listened to him. Then we could have avoided all of this. I'd probably be better off not knowing she loves him.

But with time, I'll find someone who will make me happy and vice versa. Rory has and that's great for her. When I do find someone, I hope we'll both be able to look back at this and realise that most of the mistakes made were made because I was blinded by love and jealousy of something she had that I wanted. And I hope that one day she'll be able to forgive me. Only time will tell.

Maybe I should lay off the books for awhile, scaring myself again...

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Lane was sitting by the phone. She still had an hour until Mrs. Kim came home but she couldn't for the life of her to pick it up. She was going to break up with Henry today, she wanted what Rory had and she knew she couldn't have that if she stayed with him. So there she was, sitting there willing herself to reach out, pick up the reciever, dial some numbers and speak. So far she had picked up the reciever and dialedthe first four numbers three times. _'Okay Kim, get ti together. It's just a break up. Your going to go through this again at, hopefully, different points in your life. Just pick the phone up, dial and talk.'_ She reached out, dialed the number she knew by heart and waited for someone to pick up the phone, luckily Henry answered. "Hello?" She heard him say. She was about to just hang up but then decided against it. She had to do this now.

"Hi." She said a bit timidly.

"Lane. Hey, how are you?" He said too cherily for her taste. He was making this really hard.

"Good, I'm good. Henry?"

"Yeah Lane?"

"When we're together, do you feel a spark?"

"What do you mean?" He had a feeling he knew where this was going.

"When we kiss, does your blood freeze? Do you get butterflies when you see me? Does your blood rush and your heart race when we hold hands or just brush against each other? Do you feel anything?" Lane asked hoping that he would say no.

"Honestly?"

"Yeah, honestly."

"No. I'm not saying that I don't enjoy your company though." He added quickly.

"Henry, I don't think we're working out. I mean, like you said, I like hanging with you. But we're two very differnet people. There's no chemistry. You're a great guy but, not the guy for me. I'm sorry and I hope you don't hate me."

"I understand. I could never hate you Lane and I hope you find a guy who can make you feel all those things."

"Same to you Henry. But a girl, not a guy. Unless you decide to swing that- I just hope you find someone who can make you happy. Bye, Henry." Lane felt that went well but could still feel the tears gathering in her eyes.

"Bye, Lane." And then she heard the dial tone. She put the phone down and walked up the stairs to throw herself on her bed and cry silently for the death of her first real relationship with a guy she liked.

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Rory was reading on the bridge when she heard footsteps. She knew it was Jess, she could just feel it. But she didn't say anything. When he sat down next to her she gave him a sfot kiss and leaned her head on his shoulder and continued to read. Jess pulled the book out of his pocket and began to read as well. She didn't feel like talking and he was someone who respected the need for space sometimes. Sometimes you just need to be alone to process something or sort your problems out.

They sat like that for awhile. Not saying anything to each other and not needing to at the same time. When it became too dark to read they put their books away and got up making their way to the Gilmore house. They had they day off from Luke's so they didn't have to help with the dinner rush. When they got to the doorstep they stopped and looked at each other. Rory decided it was time to break the silence. "Thankyou." She could have meant it for walking her home, reading with her and respecting her space or being there for her when she had finished talking to Dean.

"Any time." He told her and meaning it. He'd do anything for this girl. He leaned down and placed a soft kiss on her lips to which she responded eagerly. She wrapped her arms around him bringing him closer while his hands found their way to her hair. When they pulled away, he said something she didn't know if she'd ever hear from him. "I love you." It was soft and and almost inaudible, but she heard it.

She smiled and looked up at him. "I love you, too." They kissed again but it was passionate or rough. It was a sweet, soft, gentle and loving kiss. Something they didn't share often but when they did, time seemed to stop just for those moments and nothing could go wrong. They pulled away and Rory had a tear in her eye, but only because she was so happy that he had said it to her. All doubts of how much her cared for went out the window the moment he spoke those three words to her.

They just stood there, arms around each other, both smiling openly and looking into each other's eyes. "You know, I was so sure that you didn't love me." Rory started. "But I have absolutly no idea why. You know what I think? We're perfect for each other no matter what anyone else says. The only thing I need, Jess, is you."

"I've never said that to anyone. I might have said it to Lizzie, but I don't remember ever doing so. And I've never had a girlfriend who I've said that to. You're the only girl I've ever loved. I'll ever love." Jess whispered to her as if someone else might hear. "But I'm not good enough for you, Rory. You deserve the world, and I can't give you that. All I can give you is love, but that's not enough." He took his arms from around her and would have walked away but she kissed him hard before he could. When they pulled away he he looked at her with a questioning face.

She looked him in the eye. "You are good enough for me Jess. I don't want some socialite from my grandparents world who could give me anything but real love. I deserve true love Jess, and that is something you can give me. I don't care what anyone else thinks because you complete me and if I lost you, I don't know what I would do. I have the world, Jess. You are my world. You get along with my friends and my mom. You help make my life more enjoyable. If you walk away from me, then I don't believe that you truly love me." This time it was his turn to kiss her. He backed her up against the door but she pulled away. He looked at her questioning her silently. "Babbette is next door." She told him and he nodded. She opened the door and went to check messages. He followed her in and closed the door as he heard the machine say that there was one message.

"Hey babe. I'm not going to be home until late, Michel screwed up an order for the wedding tomorrow so now I have to fix it since he's at home sick today. There's some money for Luke's or pizza or whatever you feel like. Don't wait up for me, we can have breakfast tomorrow. Love ya sweets. Bye." Jess looked at her and raised an eyebrow.

"So what do you feel like doing?" He walked towards her putting his arms on either side of her effectively pinning her against the counter.

"I could think of a few things..." She trailed off with a smile on her face.

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"No matter how many times I watch this, it never gets old." Rory said to a bored looking Jess. They had watched Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. "Don't you think?"

"I think, that this was not what Ihad in mind." Jess told her with a somewhat evil look. The things he wanted to do, well let's just say they'd make both Rory and Luke blush 25 shades of red...

"Really? I thought that this was what you meant." She said innocently. If she wasn't truly innocent she may have never pulled it off. _'He's cute when he's mad...'_ She thought to herself.

"You. Are. An. Evil. Evil. Woman." Jess told her with a smirk. He loved her no matter what and that wouldn't ever change. He wasn't sure what made him fall for her or when it he actually fell in love with her. The suspected moment was their first kiss in the candy isle of Doose's market, that was when he couldn't stop thinking about her, wanting to touch her, hold her, kiss her. And that was all he wanted. Sometimes he thought about applying to Chilton just so he would be with her more. Other times he thought about applying to Chilton to make something of himself. But he didn't have the money and he couldn't ask Luke. But maybe he could get a scholarship. Good thing he'd raised his grades and was nearing the top of his class.

He was only doing better because two reasons, one, he no way in hell wanted to end up like his mom or dad. He wouldn't be able to live with himself if he did. And two, even if Rory said he was good enough for her, he knew he wasn't so he wanted to make something of himself and prove everyone who ever doubted him wrong, that he was good enough for her.

"But you love me anyway." Rory said teasingly. She loved being able to say 'I love you' without worrying about whether or not he'll say it back. And it was a great feeling to finally have it out in the open. She realized that when she said it to Jess it didn't take as much effort as it did to say it to Dean for the first time. She didn't feel pressured to say it and that felt good. She loved that he didn't pressure her into anything, that he could compromise with her, that they could do almost anything together. Even if at times he was rude, sarcastic, arrogant and a smart ass, she still loved him. All of him. It just made the times where he was sweet, polite, less sarcastic and intellectual even more special.

"Yeah, yeah." He said before leaning forward and catching her lips with his. She moved closer to him, her hands running through his hair. He wrapped his arms around he waist pulling her closer so she was sitting in his lap. One hand cupped the side of her face and the other was on the small of her back holding her against him. He was drowning in her. No girl had ever done that to him before. He wanted, needed more but didn't want to push her and scare her away. Not after he told her that simple yet special fraze just hours ago. He couldn't lose her.

She knew that they needed to stop but she couldn't get herself to say 'no'. She was feeling things Dean was never able to make her feel. Passion, lust, want. If they didn't stop now... let's just say she wasn't ready just yet. She took her hands from his hair and Jess automatically pulled away knowing what was going to happen. He was actually glad she stopped him. "Not yet, okay." She said quietly.

He took her hands in his and made her look at him. "Don't ever be scared to say no to me. You have to set the boundaries because God knows what I'll do if you don't." He saw her blush and smiled. "I better go, Luke'll pissed, I missed curfew." He told her while looking at the clock and getting up. It was little after 11, he was supposed to be back at 10.

He brushed his lips against hers. "I meant what I said, and that'll never change." He whispered in her ear before letting himself out and making his way back to the diner.

"He really does love me." Rory said aloud to herself. She was feeling so happy. But then she remebered something. Or rather someone. Lane had told her she was going to break up with Henry that night. She quickly got up slipping her shoes on and grabbing her jacket and keys making her way out the door and over to the Kim residence. She knew that Lane might be asleep but she wanted to see if she was alright. Before she climbed up the tree she texted Lorelai letting her know where she was if she came home early since she forgot to leavea note. She expertly climbed the tree and tapped softly on Lane's window. Luckily she was awake and opened the window.

She had puffy red eyes and her face was tear stained. Rory entered quietly and pulled Lane into a warm embrace letting her cry softly as Jess had done for her so many times before. "How did he take it?" Rory asked softly when Lane had calmed down and stopped crying. Lane pulled her into her closet so they could talk without waking her parents.

"Surprisingly well. It was mutual so I don't feel guilty but..." Lane trailed off.

"It doesn't make it hurt any less." Rory finished. This was how she was when she broke up with Dean. Just because she didn't love him anymore didn't mean it hurt less. She was losing her first boyfriend and love. Something that was a constant her life for a year and a half. In a way, she was losing her security blanket.

And Lane was losing her first boyfriend. The first guy she liked and got premission to date from her parents. Break ups just suck. "Yeah. I just wish we had worked out ya know? I mean I really liked him at first. What happened?" Lane asked Rory. Even if she'd only two boyfriends she still knew more about them than she did.

"There's always going to be an attraction that will start the relationship. That's the first stage. And after that stage you have to figure out whether or not you want to stay together because you want to, not because you have to. And you both chose to go seperate ways." Rory explained. She had thought about relationships alot while she was single. Mostly annalyzing her's and Dean's.

"Is that what happened between you and Dean?"

"Not really. We were happy together for a while but then we grew apart. Our different interests made it hard to tdo things together and he always felt neglected if I didn't spend time with him. It was a smothering relationship that had lost it's spark and was going nowhere. I couldn't stay in a relationship like that so I broke up with him." ROry explained simply. That was the conclusion she had come to a few months ago. "I know that break ups suck, and you'll never forget Henry, but it'll get better. You'll find a guy who can make you happy. But for now, it's okay to wallow. Even if it seems stupid."

"Thanks Ror. Good thing I still have those break up CD's I burned you." She let out a small laugh, but then yawned. "I guess I'm gonna go to sleep. I'll see you tomorrow, 'kay." Rory nodded and gave her friend a hug.

"I'll let Jess know that I may be unreachable after diner hours because for the next few weeks until you feel better, I'm yours." Rory told her. "G'night Lane."

"Night Rory." Rory got up and climbed back out the window and down the tree while Lane curled up on her bed soon falling into a slightly restless sleep.

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Jess was on a natural high. He couldn't stop smiling for the life of him. Nor could he fall asleep. He had tried reading but it just reminded him of Rory. She would not leave his thoughts. Everything came back to her. Books, music, Stars Hollow. He decided to go online and see if there was anything to do. Maybe some of his old friends were online. There was one friend who he hadn't lost touch with, Casey.

They had known each other since they were ten. He was the one to teach Jess how to play basketball. The one who took him to his first rave too. They had their first cigarettes together. Jess had took them Liz and decided to try them with Casey. Alot of trouble Jess got into had happened with Casey. Sometime with other 'friends', but where ever Jess was, you could find Casey. He was the only one who didn't bail on him if the cops showed.

They had been through alot together and were like brothers. They had never said 'I love you' to each other seeing as how they were guys, but they knew the other cared.

He was online. Jess hadn't talked to him for few weeks so they had some catching up to do.

NeWyOrKeR4lIfE: wuts up casey?

xxCManxx: hey jess! hows nowheresville, usa?

NeWyOrKeR4lIfE: its cool. ive actually been going to skewl...

xxCManxx: you, jess, schools a waste of time, mariano are going to school? its gotta be a chik...

NeWyOrKeR4lIfE: no, id really be going without someone makin me.

xxCManxx: how come you didnt tell me bout her man? i thought we was buds...

NeWyOrKeR4lIfE: haven't talked w/u lately...

xxCManxx: how long u been cin her?

NeWyOrKeR4lIfE: about 3 months

xxCManxx: i see the jess-man lives! workin fast even at nowheresville. name?

NeWyOrKeR4lIfE: rory and dont ask about how she is in bed

xxCManxx: why not? haven't u been getting any?

xxCManxx: i'll take that as a no, dis girls different. if you aint getting any, shes gotta be the opposite of ur usual. lemme guess, innocent town princess. am i right?

NeWyOrKeR4lIfE: shes def. diff. this one reads, and im not talking bout cosmo or the babysitter's club. the classics man. good taste in music and movies 2. man, i'm in love.

xxCManxx: the jess-man in love! i gotta meet dis chik... see wuts so special to make you change... is she hott?

NeWyOrKeR4lIfE: yeah man...

NeWyOrKeR4lIfE: so any new chiks for u?

xxCManxx: nah, im lookin for sometin diff. you know some innocent chik dat's the female version of me...

NeWyOrKeR4lIfE: w/e man, make fun all ya want, but im happy, aint nuttin can change dat right now.

xxCManxx: u fell hard man, ill bet you got a big smile on ur lips right now huh? just tell me whether or not you thot bout beddin her...

NeWyOrKeR4lIfE: i havent changed dat much

xxCManxx: thot so. but other den herr, u gots to be goin outa ur mind there right? thers prolly not much to do ther

NeWyOrKeR4lIfE: well i would be if my uncle wasnt makin me work for him, wit skewl work that i am actully doin, chillin w/ rory, work and readin i got stuff to do. but other than that, yeah. but i love tormenting her ex...

xxCManxx: jealous?

NeWyOrKeR4lIfE: hes pathetic, calls her a slut for goin w/me then tries to win her back by 'readin', it was pathetic...

xxCManxx: dis chik must be somethin... im comin down there and meetin her, maybe asist u w/ the tormentin of the ex?

NeWyOrKeR4lIfE: u can come, ill ask my ucle if u could stay here a couple days, if not u gotta stay a motel or sometin... and no tormenting bagboy

xxCManxx: ud do that to ur bro? dats cold man, dats cold... whos bagboy and y not?

NeWyOrKeR4lIfE: the ex and because rory just got him off our backs. and its all up 2 luke.

xxCManxx: i c, and a little taunting would make him bug u 2 love birds again?

NeWyOrKeR4lIfE: he has the IQ of a floorboard, he gets pissed easy and throws things outa proportion so id say yeah

xxCManxx: but that makes it all the more fun

NeWyOrKeR4lIfE: i no, and believe me, we got him good at least twice

xxCManxx: how so? man, nuttin 2 do tonight, and thers nuttin on tv, i need details

NeWyOrKeR4lIfE: he thot he could piss me off by sayin i was sleepin w/ rory wen he nos she aint no slut, and it did, but before i could say anything else, rory kisses me right there just like if i was gettin some. god, u shoulda seen his face after that, priceless.

xxCManxx: wait, jus cuz u cant bug doesn't mean i cant right?

NeWyOrKeR4lIfE: i have no control over u...

xxCManxx: xactly, ill be there sometime next week k man?

NeWyOrKeR4lIfE: datll give me enough time to get luke to say yes. i g2g, he's wakin up now, ttyl

xxCManxx: bye!

NeWyOrKeR4lIfE: Has signed off

Jess felt a bit better now that his best friend knew about Rory and obviously approved. School was fine, he was in love and his best friend seemed to approve, yup. life was good.

"What are you doing up? Did you just get home? 'Cause I swear to God if-" Luke had woken up from the beeping the computer was making that Jess hadn't even bothered to turn off.

"Chill Luke. I was talking to my friend, I got home about three hours ago and we only watched a movie. Geeze, have a little more faith will ya?"

"Sorry, it's just a little late, or should I say early? Anyway, go to sleep, you've got school tomorrow. Night." Luke was about to go back to bed but Jess's voice stopped him from doing so.

"Can my friend stay here a few days next week?" Luke didn't think that he'd actually ask premission. Rory was definitely rubbing off on him. That put a smile on his face. Until he thought of a different meaning...

"He in trouble? Or he just coming to see you?" Luke asked without turining around.

"You can't believe someone other than Rory would come to see little ol' me? I'm shocked." Jess said teasingly.

"I didn't mean it that way and fine. He can stay on the new couch you and Rory have broken in. Night. And this time I intend to get to my bed." Luke said shaking his head slightly and walking back to bed. The kid was cleaning himslef up. He may still be rude and sarcastic but he's not as bad as before, Luke could actually stand him now. He did good, he did good.

A/N I know, a bit short but I felt that was a good place to stop. Sorry it took so long to update again. I had this whole thing about the history between Casey and Jess and it was really good. It was done all in inspiration, but then I realized that half of it didn't go with the story. And yes, I know, they said 'I love you' and Jess probably wouldn't have told one of his old friends but I wanted him to share that with Casey, after all, they are like brothers... The 'nowheresville, usa' thing is unoriginal, but I couldn't think of anything better. Also, writer's block really sucks. I'm not sure when Lane decides to be drummer, so let's say that she is. Sorry to those of you who liked Henry, but I am a Bandmate or Lane/Dave so there will be some of that. I'm still looking for a beta if anyone is interested, email me at review!


	11. Chapter 10

Disclaimer: I own only the character(s) I have created and the plot. The rest is Amy S.P.'s.

A/N Thank you to reviewers! I love waking up and seeing that I have review waiting to be read. I'm glad you liked last chapter though some of it was cheesy, but what can I say, I'm a sap for cheese. LOL. I am happy to say that I have found a beta and so the rest of this story will have better spelling and grammar. I really don't have anything to ramble about so on with the story.

Rory and Lorelai were having a movie night. The feature presentation was Shrek 2, Lorelai had wanted to watch Paws in Boots sing with Donkey. It had been a while since they had movie night, just the two of them. Jess had become a regular at the Gilmore household, just like Max and Dean had before. But somehow it seemed like it would stay like that for a longer time. Lorelai finally got her chance to give the 'hurt her, I'll kill you' speech two weeks ago.

_FLASHBACK_

_Jess had come over to surprise Rory, but she was at Lane's, so Lorelai took this chance to give him the speech. "Hey Jess, Rory's over at Lane's but I'd like to talk to you." She said to him when she opened the door. He had a feeling he knew what she wanted to talk to him about but hoped he was going to escape it. He had avoided... at least he thought._

_"Uh, sure, Lorelai." She moved to the side so he could come in, which he did slightly hesitant. Lorelai smiled, he was squirming. They sat down at the kitchen table. "So, what did you want to talk to me about?" He knew that they got along, but he wasn't exactly sure where they stood._

_"This is just something I explained to Rory that I would go through with all her boyfriends. But seeing as how she's never left you alone with me, you were able to avoid it. Okay, I'm admitting it, I like you. You and Rory are very much in love, even if you haven't admitted it yet. I've seen the way you are with her, and the way you are with Taylor." They both smirked at that. "But, just because I like you doesn't mean that if you hurt her, I'll hunt you down to the ends of the earth, torture you, slowly and painfully, burry you and then let who ever is next in line dig you back up while you are still alive and do whatever they want." Jess grimaced. Thank God he wasn't planning on hurting her. "I see you get the picture."_

_"Sadly, yes. But if she were to hurt me, what would you do? Would you at least punish her?" Jess inquired._

_"Depends."_

_"On what?"_

_"Whether or not she did it on purpose. I know I won't have to because she's too nice to do that."_

_"You're right. You know, I even got this talk from Tristan." Jess informed her. He had no idea where she stood with Tristan._

_"What can I say? My kid is very loveable." Lorelai said proudly._

_"Yeah, must get it from Chris."_

_"Mean! I knew you were like me." She smiled a bit._

_"I've been spending too much time around you." Jess shook his head slightly. "You should spend more time with Luke. You two are obviously in love, whether or not you've admitted it. I should go help Luke. Tell Rory to call me when she gets back." With that he left Lorelai alone with her thoughts._

_END OF FLASHBACK_

As Lorelai thought back to that day, she knew Jess had a point. Maybe she was in love with Luke. "Hey Rory?"

"Yeah mom?" She turned to her mom. She noticed her mom was thinking since she was being quiet, but she wondered what about.

"What do you think of Luke?"

"What do you mean?" Rory said playing dumb. Of course she knew what she meant. Jess had told her about saying something to her mom.

"Is he dateable?" Lorelai decided to be blunt. This had been bugging her for the last two weeks.

"For you or me? 'Cause I mean, I have Jess, and that is against the law. And-" Rory saw that Lorelai was serious so she stopped while she was ahead. "Yeah, mom. Luke's a great guy. I mean, he has had a thing for you for as long as I can remember. He's smart, can cook, is constantly trying to save our lives, puts up with your craziness and has the best coffee in the entire world." Rory told her mother, knowing the coffee part was going to pay off.

"He does have good coffee doesn't he?" Beat. "Do you think he's still open? I want coffee. Put the movie on pause, so I can see Paws later." She smiled. Then frowned. "I need coffee, I just realized I haven't had any in the last two hours. And neither have you." She looked at Rory who avoided her eyes. "Rory, have you been holding out on me?"

"Remember how you went to the bathroom earlier and took forever?" Lorelai nodded. "Well Jess stopped by and brought me coffee and I sorta drank it all."

"If Jess stopped by then how could you drink the coffee if your lips were attached to his?" Lorelai said pouting.

"I told him that it was going to be just you and me tonight so he left after he gave me the coffee and a quick kiss." Lorelai looked at her doubtingly. "Okay, the kiss wasn't quick, but no longer than two minutes." Rory looked at her mom with a guilty face.

"Just, for that, no more coffee for you. At least not tonight." Lorelai told her. "Now I need coffee!"

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Rory and Lorelai were about to walk into Luke's but Lorelai stopped. She wanted to look good. Lorelai decided that she was through being lonely and was finally going to listen to her mother and Sookie. She was going to get her man. Hopefully. "How do I look?" Lorelai was entirely nervous. The butterflies that she usually ignored were wild and would not go away. She wasn't used to being this nervous.

"You look good mom." Rory told Lorelai trying to calm her down. "Now go get your man!"

"Shh! Don't be so loud! He'll hear you." Rory just rolled her eyes in response and walked into the diner and directly to Jess giving him a long kiss, causing him to drop whatever was in his hands.

"And that was for...?" Jess asked once they separated. "Not that I minded." He added.

"I missed you." Rory said simply.

"What are you guys doing here? Weren't you having a movie night?" Jess said securing his arms around her waist so she wouldn't be able to get away.

"We were, but we needed coffee."

"What happened to the coffee I brought over?" Rory blushed, and he knew the answer. She drank so much coffee, he wouldn't be surprised if she cut herself and bled blood. She even tasted like coffee. But somehow she tasted like coffee with tons of sugar even if she drinks it black. She never ceased to amaze him and that's another thing he loved about her.

"What did you say?" They heard Luke say and looked over at Lorelai.

"I said... um, will you go out with me?" Lorelai repeated very aware of the eyes on her. She had beaten around the bush but Luke knew her so well.

"When? And where?" Luke asked with a small smile on his face. The woman he loved since she had given him that horoscope was asking him out. His teenage nephew that was causing trouble in New York and had to be sent here was behaving more or less and Taylor hadn't bugged him for two days straight. Things were looking up in the life of Luke Danes.

He had thought about asking her out so many times, or came so close to just kissing her. But every time they shared one of those moments they were interrupted. Be it her phone or Lorelai telling him of her plans with a guy. He knew he had to wait for the perfect moment, but part of him felt that the moment he was waiting for had passed him by. Now he had his chance and wasn't going to screw it up. At least he hoped he wouldn't, he was Liz's brother...

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Casey had just gotten off the bus from New York and looked around. It was like this town was out of some story book. It was way too cheery for his taste, too many smiles. These people knew nothing of pain, hatred or anger. Their lives were all 'perfect' in this 'perfect' town. This was probably the best environment to keep a kid away from all of what he knows, and that's what he wants.

He looked around, trying to see if he could find Jess. He hadn't told him was coming in that day, just 'sometime in the next three days'. It didn't take too long seeing as how the town's the size of a pizza. He saw him coming out of the book store with his arm around a girl. She had long chestnut brown hair, porcelain skin and intense blue eyes. He looked her up and down, and just as he suspected, she had the look of complete and total innocence. That look instantly changed he saw Jess stand against a wall, pulling her towards him and kissing her. Maybe she wasn't as innocent as she appears to be, after all. Looks can be deceiving.

He made his way toward the couple who had yet to notice him. He stood behind Rory and dropped his bag, thinking that would get their attention. Apparently not. "Geeze, Jess. Let the girl catch a breath every once in a while."

Jess pulled away and Rory pouted slightly before turning around. "You didn't tell me you'd be coming today." Jess told his long time friend. They did their handshake that they had been doing since they met. They stepped back and Jess put his arm back around Rory. "Rory, this is my best friend Casey. Casey, this is my girlfriend, Rory."

"You have him speaking in full sentences. Wow. You must be some girl." Casey said, smirking even more.

"She is."

"Thanks. It took a while, but I did it. He even goes to school. That took even longer." Rory said smiling. She was happy to hear that she was the only who was able to change Jess. It seemed to make her role in his life more important and she liked that.

"Hmm. He quit smoking too? I quit about two months ago." Casey admitted.

"We lit our first cigarettes together. Lizzie's pack." Jess told Rory while looking at Casey. He knew why he quit, but why would Casey quit? He said there wasn't any chick in his life. Maybe he has cancer. He didn't come here just to see him, Jess knew that much.

"See Jess, no one had to bug him to quit." Rory said brining Jess out of his thoughts.

"You stopped kissing me until I quit. That was cruel and unusual punishment." Jess said shaking his head.

"It had to be done." She shrugged. "How long are you staying Casey?"

"A few days." Casey said. He hoped Jess would take his news well.

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Casey and Jess were upstairs later that day, catching up and listening to music. Luke gave him the day off, but Rory still had to work since it was a busy day and he would need some help. Jess knew there was something up with Casey. He wasn't making a lot of eye contact and was fiddling with a cigarette. Most people would pass it off as jitters you get when you quit smoking, but Jess knew better.

"What happened to Celia? You brake up?" Jess asked. Celia was Casey's girlfriend when he left and she wasn't just a random girl Casey was sleeping with. Casey actually liked her, maybe loved her. Besides Jess, she was the only one who understood him. In a way, she was his Rory.

"She's uh... she's pregnant." Casey mumbled the last word. Jess was the one who had always told him to use protection because he knew that it would be too hard to be a teen father in New York. Look at how he was. The only reason he was doing better was because he left New York and they both knew it. But Casey didn't have any relatives he knew about that would help him. He wasn't as fortunate as Jess was.

"What did you say?" Jess could have sworn he heard Casey say pregnant. But that couldn't be right; Casey wasn't that stupid to have unprotected sex, right?

"Celia is pregnant. Three months along. She's not having an abortion. I've been taking care of her. Her parents threw her out; don't want anything to do with her or the kid. She's staying with me and I'm working." Casey told his friend, knowing that would cover most of the questions waiting to be asked.

"Were you safe?" Jess asked looking at the floor trying to digest what his friend had just told him. He hoped to god that would never happen to him and Rory until they at least finished high school.

"Yeah." Casey said quietly knowing Jess needed time to digest this. When Celia had told him, he walked around for three hours before coming to a decision.

After what seemed for ever, but was only about ten minutes, Jess broke the silence. "I need to go for a walk." Jess didn't look at Casey, just walked out the door and downstairs. He saw that the diner was empty and that Luke would be able to handle it so he told Rory to take a break. She could see that his eyes were guarded, and that there had to be something wrong. Luke just nodded and they left. They didn't say anything, but they both knew where they were going. The bridge.

When they got there they sat down. She just sat there, holding his hand, squeezing it occasionally to let him know that she wasn't leaving, and waiting for him to talk to her. After awhile, he still didn't say anything, but wrapped his arm around her and pulled her closer kissing her cheek softly.

He wanted to just hold her. Thinking about her getting pregnant, knowing that it could be very possible. It scared the hell out of him, and he knew his first instinct would just be to run. But he'd never do that. He wouldn't be able to leave like that and become his father. Jess knew that wasn't the only thing that Casey wanted. He would have just called if he just wanted to tell him. Jess knew there was something waiting to be said, but what he didn't know, was that it might be something that would change his life forever.

"Casey's girlfriend is pregnant." Jess said quietly. "She's seventeen, keeping it. Her parents threw her out, Casey took her in. There's something he wants, but I don't know what it is."

Rory didn't know what to say. She didn't know what to think of the information that Jess had just shared with her. She didn't know if she could say anything so she just kissed him. Softly, sweetly, it lasted less than a minute, but it was enough. She sat there with him again; resting her head on his shoulder and looking at the water thinking about how she would feel if she were pregnant. She'd never have an abortion. She wouldn't be able to live with herself. Rory knew that Lorelai would probably be pissed at first and would want to kill Jess, but then help her out, making sure that no matter what she went to college. At least she hoped so.

Jess let go of Rory and got up extending his hand to help her up. They made their way silently back to the diner. Rory gave him a quick kiss before going back to work and Jess went upstairs to talk to Casey. He found him on the couch staring at the ceiling with a pensive look on his face. Jess sat down in the chair and looked at his friend.

"Why else are you here Casey?" Jess asked him. He needed to know or else he was going to go crazy. And he wasn't this curious. Once again, too much time with the Gilmore girls.

"What do you mean?"

"Don't play with me, Casey. I know you didn't come here to tell me that Celia is pregnant, you would have just called. I've known you since we were ten, don't lie to me."

Casey knew that Jess was upset now, and what he was going to say would probably make him blow, but not saying anything would be worst. "I want you to take the kid." He said it quietly waiting for the explosion.

"What?"

"When it's born, I want you to raise the kid."

"Why? Why do you want me to raise your kid? What possible reason could you have for that?"

"I don't want my kid to turn out like me. I don't want him or her to grow up in New York, to go through all the crap we've been through. You're the closest thing to family that I have that would do this for me. I'd rather the kid grow up here than New York. You're doing better out here, your life's on track, you'd be a good parent. You could get Rory to help! Or Luke! You can give this kid a chance to live a better life than either of us had. They deserve it."

"I don't know man. This is huge!"

"I know, but I need to know, will you do it or not?"

A/N I know! You all are hating me sooooooo much. Such a short chapter, for a three week wait and a cliff hanger! I had no idea what else to put in this chapter. Even if it's short, I like it. Sooooooooooooooo sorry about the long wait, I had really bad writer's block. I also had to write three speeches, because my bat mitzvah was last Saturday! And my birthday was the Friday a week before. I was a bit distracted and lazy. So sorry. I can't guarantee a faster update, but reviews do make me feel guilty so I do try to write. Hint Hint Please review and tell me what you think. Should he do it or not? I really could use some encouragement. Also, my computer is dying, and it'll take a week to get a new one. Sorry! Please REVIEW!


	12. Chapter 11

Discalimer: I own only the characer(s) I have created.

A/N Sorry it took so long to update! I really had to sit on this chapter for awhile before I decided what to do. Alot of you think that Celia and Casey should just move to Stars Hollow, but that's not my plan. I will show some flashbacks including Casey and Celia, their situation and why they wouldn't be able to make that move. Really I just wanted to add something that would effect Jess alot but at the same time avoid Rory becoming pregnant. I don't know if you'll like this chapter or not because I'm still not totally sure what to write. Done with my rambles for now so on with the story!

"Yeah I'll do it. But I am not letting you just run off and try to forget this kid. He or she will know that you are their father. You _and_ Celia will visit, write, call or email once a month. You will be apart of it's life unlike our fathers you got that? The only reason I'm doing this is because I know you guys can't leave New York." Jess said completely serious. He wasn't going to let this kid have a life like his or Casey's. It didn't deserve that as Casey said.

"I know. Thanks man. You don't know how much I appreciate this. Celia too. I will be a part of this kids life if it means that you'll raise him or her. I wasn't planning on trying to forget it you know." Casey had been a little taken abcak when Jess said that he would think about leaving the kid with him so he could forget it. He'd never be able to forget about it.

"Yeah, just making sure neither of inherited that gene from our so called fathers." Casey just nodded and looked around the apartment uncomfortably. Things between them had always been layed back, now, things would never be the same. Whether that was a good thing or not, no one knew.

"I like Rory. She's not the usual slut that can't read." Casey said changing the subject.

"One of the reasons I love her." Jess said sitting down as if it was nothing.

"Wait a minute. Did_ you_, Jess Mariano, say that you loved someone?" Casey said totally dumbfounded.

"She's not just somebody, Case. She's got me jumping through hoops for her. I really care about her. If I didn't then I would be back in New York with you by now. It's not like she's just there to keep me from getting bored." Jess said it, meaning everyword.

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"...she's just ther to keep me from getting bored..." That's where she stopped listening. She had gone upstairs to check on them and had only caught that part of the conversation. His words kept running through her mind. She wouldn't have believed it but he sounded so serious. Maybe he really did just want to get in her pants. Maybe this is all just some meaningless crap he wanted her to believe. But that couldn't be true. When she looked in his eyes, she saw love, unconditional and true. Maybe that's just what he wanted her to think. But if he was just doing this to screw with her head then why would he go back to school and actually try?

She must have heard wrong. But the chance that it might be true made he want to throw up. Before she knew it, she was running downstairs all the way home. Once she got there she slammed the door and threw herself on top of the couch crying, hard.

She hadn't cried this hard because of anyone before. She cried because of Dean, but never this bad. Her heart felt like it had been torn into seven pieces and burned. She could not believe that he could say such a thing.

That was how Lorelai found her when she got home an hour later. "Babe, what's wrong?" She was really worried. Rory didn't ever cry this hard. Rory sat up and hugged her mother for dear life. Like she could make all the bad go away. She was able to make the monsters go away when she was little, or get her away from Kirk when he was being himself. There was no reason she wouldn't be able to fix this, right?

"... Jess... I heard... Him say... That... I was just there... to keep him from getting bored..." Rory choked out shaking with sobs. Nothing in her life had ever hurt so much. Lorelai held Rory whispering things to her soothingly. Once Rory had calmed down a bit Lorelai once again asked her what happened and Rory filled her in on Casey's stiuation, what he asked Jess and what she had heard.

"Wow. Somehow, I just don't believe that. Are you sure that you heard him right? Jess is usually sarcastic, maybe he didn't mean it." Lorelai tried. But once Rory had her mind set, it was hell to try to convince her otherwise.

"He sounded pretty serious when he said it."

"Hon, you do know there's a possibility that you only heard the last part of his sentence right?"

"I know, but, just to hear him say it made me sick. He really cared, cares, about me and to hear those words just... aroused the doubts I had at the beginning of our relationship."

"I know babe. At first I didn't know if I could trust him or not. He got sent here from New York because he was getting in trouble. But he was there for you through the Dean situation, respected your space when Lane needed you and helps you study for school. He has to care about you, or he is a really good actor. But let's face it, Jess in drama? I don't think so." That made Rory smile. "So I take it you're going to talk to him?"

"I guess I should. He was there for me when I needed him, now it's my turn." Rory sighed and got up. "But I should clean myself up a bit first, huh?" Lorelai smiled and nodded as Rory proceeded to the bathroom. Hopefully, eveything would be fine for now. There was enough drama that day for a year.

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When Luke saw Jess and Casey come down stairs laughing, he figured everything was alright. And then he remembered Rory and instantly went into father mode. "What did you say to Rory to make her run out of her like she was on fire?" Luke demanded.

"What are you talking about? When I went up she was working down here and I haven't seen her since." Jess told Luke looking at him as if his head exploded and grew back.

"About 2 hours ago she went upstairs only to come running downstairs like I've never seen her run. She was upstairs where you were so my only guess is you said something to her."

"She didn't even come into the apartment." Casey told Luke.

Luke looked at them both to see if they were lying, and since he couldn't read their eyes he gave them the benefit of the doubt. "Well, she was obviously upset, you should talk to her, Jess."

"No, I'll go." Casey suggested. He had been wanting to talk to Rory one on one and figured this would be the perfect chance. "I wanted to talk to her anyway." Jess looked at him skeptically. "Relax, man."

"Fine, but send her here when you finish talking." Jess conceited reluctantly.

"Deal." He asked where her house was and then made his way out the door. He didn't have to go too far before bumping into her. "Rory, just who I was looking for."

"Hey, Casey. Is Jess at the diner?" She didn't want to be rude but she really needed to tallk to Jess.

"Yeah, but I was hoping I could talk to you."

"Umm, sure." She turned and they started walking through town. "What's up?"

"Luke said that you were upset. I think I might be able to help you out there. What happened?" He wanted to get the easier subject out of the way first.

"I heard something, but I'm not sure if Jess meant it." She said blushing slightly. She too a deep breath and looked at him. "He said that I was just there to keep him from getting bored. Please tell me he didn't say that." Casey smirked.

"He did say that but, he was just telling me that he was in love with you and being his sarcastic, smart ass self." Casey said hoping that she would believe him.

"But he sounded so serious." Rory argued all though she didn't know why.

"He was serious, serious about being in love with you. You've got him, Jess I don't give a shit Mariano, in love. Not just anyone could do that. Not with the life he's led. You're his Celia. At the risk of sounding cheesy and like a romance novel, you're his other half. I've never seen him look at anyone like he does at you." Rory sighed relieved that she had just misheard him. But she didn't think that was all that Casey wanted to talk to her about.

"I love him too. I dunno, it just hurt to hear the person you love say something like that so convincingly." Beat. "I know that wasn't the only thing you wanted to talk to me about Casey."

"Perceptive as well. You're right. I have to ask you somethiong that I need an honest answer to. Promise?" He looked at her as she debated whether or not to promise. Normally she would automatically agree, but somehow, this situation seemed different. Probably because she was talking to Casey, part of Jess's past.

"I promise." She said finally.

"I want to know whether or not you think asking Jess to raise my kid is being a bad father." Wow, definately not was she was expecting. Not that she knew what to expect. Definately not that.

"Well, it depends on your situation. If you're running away from this, then yes. If you want what's best for the baby, then no. If there's something you aren't sharing with Jess as to why you want him raise your child, but it's for the best, then no. I know we don't really know each other, but I have to know. Why don't you just raise your baby with it's mother, your girlfriend?"

_FLASHBACK_

_"And don't you ever think about telling the cops again!" A tall, well built man with short brown hair dressed in an Armani three-piece suit yelled at Casey before leaving and after punching him in the gut. _

_Casey wanted out. He knew telling cops was stupid but seemed like the best idea at the time. And now he has assured that would never be able to get out. He was going to be a father in a matter of months, he couldn't have this kid while stuck working for the mob. One day he'd leave and he never come becoause he made a stupid mistake and he wouldn't be able to leave Celia to raise a kid on her own._

_This kid, his child, deserved to lead an untainted life somewhere safe. In a place where he would be able to keep his/her innocence for longer than seven years. A place where s/he wouldn't have to deal with abusive basterds just with his/her mom for sex and money._

_And then it struck him. He knew who he could trust to do the job and keep his kid safe. The person he spent half his child hood with, the only person he ever really trusted, the guy who was like his brother in a completely safe enviornment. _

_He wanted this kid, but not under his circumstances, and he couldn't ask Celia to get an abortion just because of it. He had to talk to Celia, and then Jess. If Jess didn't do this, he didn't know what would happen._

_END OF FLASHBACK_

"And Celia doesn't know the first thing about being a mother. It's not like she can get help from anyone other than me and I don't have a clue. I want this kid in good hands, somewhere safe, to turn out okay. If anyone would be able to do that, it'd be Jess. If I could just bring Celia and the baby here I would, but I can't. Celia doesn't want to leave New York and you know why I can't leave." Casey explained to her hoping she wouldn't think bad of him. She seemed to have a good judge of character and if she thought him a coward or loser, what would Jess think?

"Well, I guess you'd be acting as a father trying to keep you baby safe, and that's a good thing." She smiled warmly trying to cheer him up and breaking him out of his serious mood. He returned the smile and she knew that they would get along just fine.

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Rory and Casey had walked back to the diner. Casey just wanted to listen to music and call Celia so that gave Jess and Rory a chance to hang out for a little while. They decided to go to the bridge for some quiet. The town had seen Rory wallking with Casey earlier all smiles, and of course, they were gossiping.

"So you're really gonna raise a baby?" Rory asked leaning her head on Jess's shoulder. It sort of surprised her when she heard that he said yes since he didn't usually like kids. But then she realised that Casey was one of the few people that Jess would do almost anything for.

"I'm not doing this alone. Not as long as you're around. There are somethings things you'd be better at than me." He seemed sort of squeemish, Rory would have laughed but he would have been mad then.

"Like what?"

"Like changing dipers, and dressing the kid. You know, stuff like that." He shrugged wrapping his arm around her.

"So basically, all the dirty work." Rory looked at Jess and he nodded. "You do know that the baby will be staying at the apartment with you during the night and you'll have to feed him, change dipers and rock him back to sleep. Or you could read Hemingway aloud." She smiled at his face as he realised this really would be a lot of work. But she would be there to alieve some of the work. They'd be a team raising this baby. Just like if they were married.

"How about this, we share the dirty work? Bsides, I'm sure Lorelai will want to play with this kid and help take care of him right?"

"Mom loves babies. When they're cute and clean."

"Well, at least we know who to leave the kid with when we go out. This will **not** effect our dating. Not if I can help it." Jess was not going to give up kissing Rory or reading with her for this kid. What he didn't know was that this kid may never do that.

"Of course not. But maybe we should get it out of our systems, you know, just to be sure." She smiled suggestively. He smirked in return leaning in to capture her lips with his.

Life was going to be very different from now on, they knew that. They just didn't realise how much things would change. How would they deal with school? What would happen if something went wrong?

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Luke and Jess were closing the diner, the only noise was of them cleaning up. "Casey's girlfriend is pregnant and he wants me to raise his kid. I said yes." Jess said breaking the silence. He would have not told him just to avoid this conversation, but Luke'd notice if a baby was in a crib upstairs seven months later.

"You're joking right? You're sixteen, Jess. How are you going to take care of this kid and go to school? You need to gradutae or you can't stay here, and if you don't graduate how are you going to make enough mone to live in a decent place and feed the kid and yourself? Have you even thought any of this through?" LUke ranted. How could Jess be so irresposible?

"Yes, I have. Rory is going to help me. We'll only have another year of high school by the time the baby is born. We'll figure that out then. I am going to graduate. When the kid is old enough, I'm going to go to a state college and get my degres so that I can make a living from home. I will take care of this kid and myself, but no matter how hard I try, I'll never be able to do it alone. Luke... I need your help. Just for a little while. Just until after high scool." He looked at him with a pleading look in his eyes. If he didn't have Luke's help, and Rory's help, he'd screw this kid up and that's what they were trying to avoid.

"Wow. Jess... I'm not real good with words, but, you're doin' good kid. This baby will be lucky to have you and Rory raising him. I have to say, you're growing up. Hell of a lot more than your mom when she had you." Luke smiled at Jess warmly which Jess returned. Maybe he was doing something right with this kid. He knew most of it was Rory, but he hoped that he did a little something.

A/N Wow, that took long to write. It's not much, but I think I like this chapter. I am soooooooooooooo sorry about the long wait! This chapter was really hard to write. The thing about Rory misunderstanding Jess wasn't even planned. I just got an idea and wrote half of this chapter. But once that was finished, I didn't know what to write anymore. I know that Jess is alot different than in the show, but this is hwo I like to portray the character when he left. And Rory seems different as well. I really have lost all respect for her. The show is only worth watching to see Luke and Lorelai together, reality hitting Rory like a ton of bricks and Jess coming back to be the hero for once. I like my Rory. She still has that innocence, I hope, but she isn't such a prude and shy. I prefer her stronger, rather than weaker. I don't know if I wrote Luke in character so I'd love it someone could tell me. Once again, I am soooooooo sorry about the long wait! And with a cliffhanger too. Damn I'm evil. FYI: I write faster when I get alot of reviews! HintHint "Reviews Love" just like HollywoodLove(my nickname). Also if you could tell me what you think about this poem I wrote. Nothing to do with Gilmore Girls but I was in an emo mood. I'll love you forever if you do!

**Everyone cares**

**No one cares**

**No one knows what it's like to be me**

**To feel loved one minute**

**And alone the next**

**To have people to talk to**

**But unable to reach them when needed**

**To have people come to you for advice**

**But have no one to ask**

**To wait for someone to come along**

**And love you completely**

**But never meet them**

**To want something so bad**

**And never have it**

**To slip in and out of reality**

**Hoping, wishing for what you know may never come**

**To have what most people desire or don't have**

**But know they are just materials**

**To feel incomplete **

**Without someone to make you feel whole**

**To feel loved one minute**

**And alone the next**

**-Rose Fliegel**

REVIEW!


	13. Chapter 12

A/N Thank you to those of who reviewed. I didn't get a big response last chapter but I just hope that's because people are just being lazy. This story is just getting harder and harder to write. I really have to figure how the characters are going to be acting from now on. Within the next two chapters after this I am going to go a few months ahead because I don't have much else planned. I will let you know again when I decide which chapter. Thanks to those of you who reviewed. It takes me long to update lately because I have a lot of stuff going on this year... including boy troubles ; ), causing me to write poetry instead of my story. But then I remember how it feels to wait and wait for an update and I try to write. I have changed my penname because I was bored with my last one. This chapter may suck. I'm not sure yet. Let me know what you think. So on with the story!

Jess and Casey were waiting at the bus stop because Casey had to leave before he got into more trouble. He wouldn't be able to handle it if something happened to Celia because of him.

"Call or email me to let me know what's going on with Celia and the baby, okay?" Jess told him sternly. He needed to know what was going on or he'd go mad from worrying. Yes, Jess Mariano would be worrying.

"I know. Dude, relax. Everything will be fine. I won't let anything happen to them. You're starting to act like a dad."

"Well, let's see what reason I have to be acting like a dad... That's right! I'm going to be a dad!" Jess slapped him upside the head. "Be a little more responsible will ya? For now, this kid is in your hands. Don't forget that."

"I've been taking care of them since she told me. I can handle this. I won't let anything happen to them." Casey said completely serious no longer joking. He would have no reason to live if something happened to Celia and the baby. It wasn't even born yet and all he wanted to do was protect it. This is why he knew he was doing the right thing. After all, what could possibly happen in Stars Hollow?

The bus pulled up and Casey and Jess shared a quick hug and pat on the back. Casey got on and watched Jess from through the window as the bus departed. It was going to be a long six months...

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"Roooooooooooooooooooooooooooory! Get that little but up here and help me choose what to wear tonight!" Lorelai yelled from upstairs. She had been looking through her closet for two hours and still had no idea what she should wear for her date with Luke. Luke. The man she had always known she would never be able to live without. He was always there when she or Rory needed him and she was grateful that she had him. That and he made the world's best coffee.

"I'm coming! Keep your shirt on!" Rory yelled back at her mother as she made her way up the stairs. It was finally going to happen. Rory had been hoping that Lorelai would open her eyes and see what was in front of her for the last year or so. She wanted Lorelai to be happy and if her dad couldn't do that without hurting her as well then she knew Luke could. As she thought about all the years they had known Luke, she realized that they were both admiring each other in secret. But now was the chance for them to truly have happiness and she was glad. If only they could find something for Lorelai to wear.

She stepped into Lorelai's room and saw the discarded clothes everywhere. She shook her head. Lorelai was so helpless sometimes. "What are your top three at this point?"

Lorelai looked around and saw a black dress that she had bought the previous week, a blue jean skirt and a white lace tank top, and a pair of black corduroys with a light blue off shoulder top.

"Where is he taking you?" Rory asked looking at each outfit carefully.

"He won't tell me! I ask him 'Hey Luke? Where ya taking me tonight?' and all I get is a 'you'll see.' That's it! How am I supposed to know what to wear with that kind of description? If he takes me somewhere fancy, I don't want to be underdressed. If he takes me somewhere casual, I don't want to be overdressed. I mean, if he really cared about me, he'd at least tell me what kind of outfit would be suitable. Really." Lorelai finished her rant and collapsed on the bed. Rory just looked at her mother and smiled. What would Luke know about how a woman dresses?

"Mom, relax. This is your nerves speaking. What you need is a cup of coffee right after you try the corduroys and the light blue off shoulder top. Now scat." Rory said picking the outfit up handing to her mother. Lorelai stared at Rory in awe.

"I have been looking at that outfit for two hours, you come in here and it takes you two seconds! That is so wrong seeing as how I taught you everything you know about fashion." Lorelai walked into the closet to try it on.

"Yeah well, those diner boys make the Gilmore girls do crazy things like forget how to dress appropriately." Rory said starting to hang up the rest of the clothes and lay them neatly on the bed.

Lorelai stepped out and twirled around. Rory gave her two thumbs up as she looked herself over in her mirror. "Luke won't know what hit him." Lorelai said smiling.

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Rory wiped down the counter as Kirk ate the last of his fries and left. Jess was upstairs; currently unaware that Rory was downstairs, watching his uncle try to be calm. He had to say that seeing Luke nervous was always something that amused him. "Relax, Uncle Luke. It's Lorelai."

"That's just it. It's Lorelai. I've been waiting for years, through boyfriend after boyfriend. Now I have my chance, what if I screw it up?" Luke began to pace trying to come up with possible excuses. He'd been uncomfortable plenty of times before dates, but that was usually because he was going through the grilling process. But this was a new concept; at least it felt like it was because he hadn't dated in years... Not including Rachel.

As much as he loved too see Luke uncomfortable, Jess was starting to get a little annoyed. "Luke, relax. She asked you out remember? That's gotta be a sign. And just don't be yourself. Because if you and Lorelai were to be married that would make me and Rory cousins and that's **not **how I think of her. In any way possible. So, go screw this up and make your nephew happy." Jess smirked knowing exactly how twisted that was and hoping his uncle would focus on that instead of worrying.

"Okay. You are **not** helping me. Get your ass downstairs and help Rory close early." Luke said irritated.

"Well if you wanted me out of here sooner you just had to say that Rory was here. Remember, Rory and I do not want to be cousins." Jess said as he walked down the stairs. Rory was now reading so he quietly walked behind her and wrapped his arms around her kissing her neck successfully distracting her from her book. She turned around leaving her book on the counter and kissing him square on the mouth. They battled for control but before someone had won Lorelai walked in causing then to stop and sigh.

"Gross. I eat here you know." Lorelai said smiling.

"Luke! Lorelai is here!" Jess yelled before kissing Rory and making Lorelai shut her eyes.

"Lukey! Get that cute butt down here before I go blind!" Rory pulled away and proceeded to be disgusted.

"Jess, I think we should wait till they're gone because they can do the same thing to us and I am now going to wash my brain out. Bad bad bad bad bad bad bad bad bad bad bad bad mental images. Luke!" When he failed to come down they all sighed. "That's it. Mom, go get him." Lorelai looked at her daughter. "Well I could go up and leave you with Jess so that he can give you the 'hurt him and die' speech or..." That got Lorelai to get up and practically ran up the stairs. "Good. Now where were we?" She turned back to Jess and was about to kiss him again when the bell over the door signified that there was another costumer. Rory put her forehead against Jess's shoulder sighing. "We are so closing early tonight." She felt Jess nod and slightly stiffen. She turned around and her eyes widened slightly. "Grandma. Hi. Umm, what are you doing here?"

"Well, I didn't have anything planned for tonight and your grandfather is away on business again so I decided to come down and see if you wanted to have dinner with me. I called the house and left a message since no one answered."

"How did you know I'd be here?"

"Your neighbor told me where I could find you. So, what do you say?"

"Umm, sure." She was so shocked she almost forgot that Jess was there and she still hadn't introduced them. "Oh, right. Jess, this is my grandma Emily Gilmore. Grandma, this is my boyfriend, Jess Mariano." Emily and Jess nodded at each other. Emily was taking him in and trying to be positive. Key word: trying. Jess was rarely scared of anyone, but after everything Lorelai had told him, the reality hit him. How cruel this woman could be and that she alone might have the power to break them up.

"Hello, Jess. It's nice to finally meet you. I'm sorry that we didn't get to meet at the ball." Emily moved forward and extended her hand. If she couldn't be positive then she could at least be civil and polite. He took her hand and shook it firmly not showing any sign of weakness. "Why don't you join us, Jess? I would like to get to know the boy who has taken my only granddaughter's heart."

Rory watched in shock as Jess nodded and managed a smile. This was going to be one hell of a night.

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Emily, Rory and Jess sat around a table at an Italian restaurant eating tiramisu. Emily had grilled Jess about aspects of his life as well as what Rory and Jess knew about each other. Now was the time she chose to ask about children. So far she was impressed with him. Well as impressed as Emily could be about someone in a lower class.

Jess had been polite enough and answered the questions truthfully. He had bitten back all his sarcastic remarks and the only reason he was doing this was completely surprised. She had sat through the entire dinner watching her boyfriend and grandmother have actual conversation. She, never in a million years imagined this as their meeting. Honestly didn't know if she preferred this over what she imagined but she wasn't going to complain.

"So Jess, what are your thoughts on children?" Emily asked taking a small bite of her dessert.

"Well, I guess I just hope that I'll make a good parent, nothing like my own." Jess said thinking that in just a matter of months, he'd be responsible for another life.

"Well, from what I've hear, that's a good thing. But timing wise, do you see children in the near future?"

"Actually Mrs. Gilmore, I'm going to be a parent in a matter of months." Jess said calmly finishing his dessert and wiping his mouth. Emily looked alarmed back and forth between Rory and Jess. Rory sat there acting just as calm as Jess waiting for the explosion.

"What? Rory, you're not... you aren't." She said quietly for fear that someone would hear and gesturing with her hands.

"No, grandma. Jess explain before she has a seizure." Rory said a little impatiently. She just wanted this dinner to be over now.

"My friend in New York doesn't want his kid to grow up the way he did so he wants me to raise him. I am going to continue to go to school and work. Rory is going to help me out, but I will **not **let her sacrifice her school work just to help me. Lorelai and my uncle are also going to help us out. Together, we can give this child the life that he or she deserves." Jess explained predicting the questions she would ask but not sure what to expect as a reaction.

"Well, that's very honorable of you Jess. If you need any help financial wise, do not be afraid to ask." Emily said deciding that this boy had to have some good in him to take in someone else's child. zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

Casey got home at about five and the first thing he did was envelope Celia into his arms. He hadn't been away from her for more than hours since he found out she was pregnant. Then he pulled her over to the couch and sat her down. "Celia, Jess said he'll take the baby." Casey was smiling, knowing that they were going to make the right choice.

"I want to keep the baby, Case." Celia whispered. When he left those few days ago, she thought about how much she wanted this baby. She wanted to be the one raising him or her. Not Jess, whom she had met 3 times. And she wanted **her first born** to be raised the way she wanted by her. "I don't want to give this baby up to someone who I've met 3 times. Please understand."

"Don't you want a good life for this baby? The feeling knowing that your baby is completely safe? That he or she can have all the opportunities that we never had? Celia, I love this baby so much that it hurts me to have someone else raise it but I don't want him or her to suffer because something happens to me or you or we can't afford to pay rent and put food on the table. If I knew we were financially stable and could take care of this baby, I wouldn't have even been in Stars Hollow. But I wouldn't be able to live with myself if something happened that we could avoid. Celia, this is for the best. And it doesn't mean we're out of their life forever. Jess wants us to be apart of this kid's life. He wants us to visit, write, talk, and be there when needed. He said that he wants this kid to know who his or her parents really are. We are doing the right thing, without giving up complete custody. Don't tell me that you honestly think that keeping the kid and staying here is a better alternative."

"I want my baby Casey." Celia said tears streaming down her face. She didn't attempt to wipe them away, they were falling one after the other, but she wasn't sobbing. Casey moved closer to her, putting his hands on either side of her face wiping some tears away with his thumbs and placed a chaste kiss on her lips. "Jess is a good guy right? He'll be able to do this?" Casey nodded and she wrapped her arms around him and leaned back. They sat there for awhile, taking in their decision and thinking of what was to take place.

Celia still didn't want to give up her baby but she had some time to get used to the idea at least. "I love you, Celia." That was the first time Casey had said that to her. They knew that the other cared, but it wasn't voiced until now. Celia felt like she was on cloud nine. Her boyfriend loved her, she was going to have a baby that was going to be safe and have a good life. If only things could stay that way... zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

Rory and Jess were dropped off at the diner after dinner, and they went inside and closed and locked the door again. They had cleaned before they left, so they just went upstairs. "Jess?" Rory called as she collapsed on top of him on the couch resting her cheek against his chest. She got a grunt in response. Biting back sarcasm and keeping up a polite facade could really drain a person. "Thank you for showing my grandma the sweet side of you." She got another grunt and a kiss on the top of her head. "I didn't think you'd have to meet either of my grandparents for another week at least so thanks for going to dinner." She felt him nod and lifted her head to look at him. He was looking down at her with adoring eyes. She smiled and kissed him sweetly which he returned.

He pulled her up slightly and kissed her with more passion. She returned the gesture and tangled her hands in his hair. They continued like this for awhile just enjoying the moment. When Jess felt Rory's need for air he started to kiss her neck, lightly biting her soft porcelain skin every so often. They had done this before but it felt different now. It felt as if... Their love, no matter what, would always be true. Whether it was with them together in complete happiness or unrequited with them leading separate lives on opposite ends of the world.

Jess slid his hand up the back of her shirt slightly, waiting for her to protest but to his surprise she just continued to kiss him. He began to rub her back moving in sync with his tongue. He didn't want to pressure and scare her off. Most of all, he wanted to show her how much he did love her. Words alone meant nothing. He didn't want to screw this up like his parents helped to screw him up.

Rory always imagined that she'd be scared when the opportunity presented itself. But she wasn't, only slightly nervous. She felt completely safe and knew that he would protect her and be gentle. She'd never had that feeling with Dean. Sure she had tried to go farther with him, but she was scared to death and a nervous wreck. Then when he rejected her, complete embarrassment. But that helped her see that he wasn't the one for her. She had made the right decision in choosing Jess.

She put her hand on his belt buckle and slowly undid it. He took notice and pulled away. "Rory? Are you sure you want to do this? I don't want you to feel like you need to thank me for being good. It's your first time and it should be because you want it not be-" She cut him off.

"You're rambling, Jess. I want this. You're right, this is my first time and I want it to be with someone I love. I want you Jess." Rory finished lust in her eyes.

Jess's mouth went dry. Hearing her say that she wanted him, to be with someone she loved made him soar. They had exchanged 'I love you's' many times before and meant it, but this time, it seemed as though those three words held so much more meaning.

He kissed her with more passion than ever before and found her hand with his and squeezed it reassuringly to show her that he felt exactly the same. She got up and stood up not letting go of his hand and pulled him out of the apartment. They had already asked Lorelai if he could come over while they were out and they figured that if they were at her house the risk of getting caught was much lower. Luke walking in on them would only serve to embarrass Rory and get Jess killed.

They walked through town at a normal pace, the passion still there, but both knowing there was no rush. It was nice to just be together under the stars. Rory got cold so she walked closer to him and he wrapped his arms around her whispering sweet nothings that made her smile. It was early but the town seemed deserted and had that picturesque glow to it under the full moon. Nights like this weren't something you could get in New York. And although Jess loved the city, the noises and all that came with it, sometimes it was nice to just have some peace.

They reached her house in no time but did not ruin the moment by acting as if they needed this. He leaned in and kissed her softly, holding her to him. Her hands once again found his hair but didn't stay there for long as he pulled her towards her room and she had to open the door. He walked farther into her room and she kicked the door shut. He lay on the bed and just looked at her for a minute before proceeding with what he had been doing before.

She bit her lip as a few tears fell down her cheeks. He whispered to her that it wouldn't hurt for long, that she should enjoy the pain as pleasure because the two are closely related. She nodded and soon she felt as she never had before. Totally complete. He whispered to her how beautiful she was, how much he loved her.

When it was over she lay in his arms peacefully thinking about how special her first time really was. That she knew it had happened with the right person.

A/N I know, fluffy ending. I actually didn't expect then ending but it sort of just showed on the screen. Once again, sorry for updating so late. School really adds to stress. I now have a livejournal for this story. Under username search for misslove852 to find the latest spoilers for this story as well as future plans. umm, that's it I guess. Review! The more reviews I get the less time it takes to update!


	14. I appologize

Due to resent events in my life, I find that writing has lost the calming effect on me and only adds to the stress in my life. I appreciate the reviews and words of adoration for this story but I cannot continue with it. I know it's an awful thing to do but, at this point I don't know what or how to write well anymore. Thank you for everything. I'm sorry.


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